lament

See also: Lament.

English

WOTD – 6 February 2010

Etymology

From French lamenter, from Latin lāmentor (“I wail, weep”), from lāmenta (“wailings, laments, moanings”); with formative -mentum, from the root *la-, probably ultimately imitative. Also see latrare.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ləˈmɛnt/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Audio (Mid-Atlantic US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛnt

Noun

lament (plural laments)

1. An expression of grief, suffering, sadness or regret.
2. A song expressing grief.

Derived terms

• lamentful (rare)

Translations

expression of grief, suffering, or sadness

• Albanian: rëngë (sq)
• Arabic: عَوِيل m (ʕawīl), رَثَاء m (raṯāʔ), مَنْدَب m (mandab), نُوَاح m (nuwāḥ)
• Armenian: հառաչանք (hy) (haṙačʻankʻ), տրտունջ (hy) (trtunǰ), գանգատ (hy) (gangat)
• Bulgarian: вопъл (bg) m (vopǎl), ридание (bg) n (ridanie)
• Catalan: lament (ca) m
• Czech: nářek m, bědování n, truchlení n
• Ewe: konyifafa
• Finnish: valitus (fi)
• French: lamentation (fr) f
• Galician: laído m, laio m, salaio m, queixume m, pranto m, pranxido m
• German: Klage (de) f, Wehklage f, Klagen (de) n, Wehklagen (de) n
• Hungarian: siralom (hu), sirám (hu), panasz (hu), kesergés (hu), lamentáció (hu)
• Ido: lamento (io)
• Irish: ong m (literary), olagón m
• Italian: lamento (it) m
• Latin: lamentum n
• Macedonian: оплаку́вање n (oplakúvanje), тагу́вање n (tagúvanje), зави́вање n (zavívanje)
• Norwegian: sorg (no) m
• Ottoman Turkish: زار (zar)
• Persian: افسوس (fa) (afsus), دژوان (fa) (dožvân), دریغ (fa) (dariğ)
• Polish: lament (pl) m
• Portuguese: lamento (pt) m, lamentação (pt) f
• Russian: стена́ние (ru) n (stenánije), причита́ние (ru) n (pričitánije), завыва́ние (ru) n (zavyvánije)
• Scottish Gaelic: caoidh f, caoineadh m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: јадиковање ?, ле̏ле̄к m

  Roman: jadikovanje (sh) ?, lȅlēk (sh) m

• Sicilian: chiantu (scn) m
• Spanish: lamento (es), lamentación (es)
• Swedish: jämmer (sv) n, klagan (sv) c
• Yiddish: געוויין n (geveyn)

song expressing grief

• Albanian: rëngë (sq), vajtim (sq), gjëmë (sq), Pleqërishte, lashtërishtë
• Arabic: مَرْثِيَة f (marṯiya)
• Armenian: եղերերգ (hy) (eġererg), եղերերգություն (hy) (eġerergutʻyun)
• Bulgarian: елегия (bg) f (elegija)
• Czech: žalozpěv m
• Dutch: klaagzang (nl) m
• Ewe: konyifaha
• Finnish: valitusvirsi (fi)
• French: complainte (fr) f
• German: Klagegesang (de) m, Klagelied (de) n
• Greek:

  Ancient: θρῆνος m (thrênos)

• Hungarian: panaszdal (hu), sirám (hu), siralmas ének
• Macedonian: та́жалка f (tážalka), еле́гија f (elégija)
• Maori: apakura, mōteatea, matatangitangi, takuate, tūkeka, pihe, waiata tangi
• Persian: نوحه (fa) (nohe), مرثیه (fa) (marsiye)
• Polish: lament (pl) m, tren (pl) m
• Portuguese: lamento (pt) m
• Russian: эле́гия (ru) f (elégija), причита́ние (ru) n (pričitánije), погреба́льная песнь f (pogrebálʹnaja pesnʹ), панихи́да (ru) f (panixída), похоро́нная песнь f (poxorónnaja pesnʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: tuireadh m, cumha m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ту̀жбалица f, ту́жа̄љка f, туго̀ва̄нка f

  Roman: tùžbalica (sh) f, túžāljka (sh) f, tugòvānka (sh) f

• Sicilian: chiantu (scn) m, lamentu m
• Swedish: klagosång (sv) c

Verb

lament (third-person singular simple present laments, present participle lamenting, simple past and past participle lamented)

1. (intransitive) To express grief; to weep or wail; to mourn.

   Synonyms: grieve, mourn; see also Thesaurus:be sad, Thesaurus:complain

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, John 16:20:

     Ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice.

2. (transitive) To express great sorrow or regret over; to bewail.

   Synonyms: bemoan, bewail; see also Thesaurus:lament

   • 1960 February, R. C. Riley, “The London-Birmingham services - Past, Present and Future”, in Trains Illustrated, page 99:

     Euston is so traditionally a part of the London scene that many will lament the passing of the old station when rebuilding is complete in readiness for the new electric service, which will probably be by multiple-units between Euston and Wolverhampton.

   • 2014 October 18, Paul Doyle, “Southampton hammer eight past hapless Sunderland in barmy encounter”, in The Guardian:

     By the end, Sunderland were lucky to lose by the same scoreline Northampton Town suffered against Southampton, in 1921. The Sunderland manager, Gus Poyet, lamented that it was “the most embarrassed I’ve ever been on a football pitch, without a doubt”.

   • 1693, Decimus Junius Juvenalis, John Dryden, transl., “[The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis.] The Tenth Satyr”, in The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis. Translated into English Verse. […] Together with the Satires of Aulus Persius Flaccus. […], London: Printed for Jacob Tonson […], →OCLC:

     One laugh'd at follies, one lamented crimes.

Translations

express grief

• Arabic: بَكَى (bakā), نَاحَ (nāḥa), أَعْوَلَ (ʔaʕwala), عَوَّلَ (ʕawwala)
• Armenian: գանգատվել (hy) (gangatvel), տրտնջալ (hy) (trtnǰal)
• Assamese: বিনা (bina)
• Bulgarian: тъгувам (bg) (tǎguvam)
• Catalan: lamentar (ca)
• Czech: náříkat impf, bědovat (cs) impf, truchlit impf
• Ewe: fa konyi
• Finnish: valittaa (fi)
• French: se lamenter (fr)
• Galician: craiar (gl), laiar, salaiar, lanxir
• German: wehklagen (de)
• Hungarian: siránkozik (hu), jajveszékel (hu), panaszkodik (hu), sopánkodik (hu), kesereg (hu)
• Icelandic: harma, syrgja (is)
• Ido: lamentar (io)
• Irish: caoin, olagón a dhéanamh
• Italian: lamentarsi (it)
• Japanese: 悲しむ (ja) (kanashimu)
• Latin: dēfleō, lamentor
• Luxembourgish: bejéimeren
• Macedonian: та́гува (táguva)
• Maori: taurere, uhunga, mōteatea
• Ngazidja Comorian: udumbia
• Norwegian: sørge
• Old English: cwiþan, rēotan
• Persian: زاریدن (fa) (zâridan)
• Polish: lamentować (pl) impf
• Portuguese: lamentar (pt)
• Romanian: lamenta (ro)
• Russian: стена́ть (ru) (stenátʹ), пла́кать (ru) (plákatʹ), сокруша́ться (ru) (sokrušátʹsja), горева́ть (ru) (gorevátʹ), го́рько жа́ловаться (górʹko žálovatʹsja), се́товать (ru) (sétovatʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: caoidh, caoin
• Spanish: lamentar (es)
• Swedish: jämra (sv)
• Tamil: வருந்து (ta) (varuntu)
• Telugu: శోకించు (te) (śōkiñcu)
• Tocharian B: kwäs-, tränk-

bewail

• Arabic: بَكَى (bakā), رَثَى (raṯā), نَاحَ عَلَى (nāḥa ʕalā), أَعْوَلَ عَلَى (ʔaʕwala ʕalā)
• Armenian: ողբալ (hy) (oġbal), սգալ (hy) (sgal)
• Bulgarian: оплаквам (bg) (oplakvam)
• Catalan: lamentar (ca)
• Czech: oplakávat impf
• Egyptian: (jwjw)
• Ewe: fa konyi
• Finnish: surra (fi), itkeä (fi), valittaa (fi)
• French: plaindre (fr)
• German: beklagen (de)
• Gothic: 𐌵𐌰𐌹𐌽𐍉𐌽 (qainōn)
• Greek:

  Ancient: θρηνέω (thrēnéō)

• Hungarian: sirat (hu), megsirat (hu), fájlal (hu)
• Icelandic: harma
• Irish: caoin, éagaoin
• Latin: lamentor
• Macedonian: опла́кува (oplákuva)
• Maori: uhunga
• Old English: cwiþan
• Portuguese: lamentar (pt)
• Romanian: boci (ro)
• Russian: опла́кивать (ru) (oplákivatʹ), опла́кать (ru) pf (oplákatʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: caoidh, caoin
• Swedish: sörja (sv), jämra (sv)
• Ukrainian: опла́кувати impf (oplákuvaty), опла́кати pf (oplákaty)

Related terms

• lamentability
• lamentable
• lamentation
• Lamentations
• lamenting

 

Further reading

• “lament”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “lament”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• mantel, mental, mantle, Mantel, manlet, Mantle

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈlamɛnt]
• Rhymes: -amɛnt

Noun

lament

1. genitive plural of lamento

Franco-Provençal

Adverb

lament

1. Alternative form of 'lament, clipping of solament (“only”)

French

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Verb

lament

1. third-person plural present indicative/subjunctive of lamer

Anagrams

• mêlant, mental

Polish

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin lāmentum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈla.mɛnt/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -amɛnt
• Syllabification: la‧ment

Noun

lament m inan

1. lamentation, lament (sorrowful cry)

   Synonym: lamentacja

2. lament, threnody (mournful song expressing sadness over someone's death or some unpleasant event)

   Synonym: lamentacja

3. (poetry) threnody (poem of lamentation or mourning for a dead person; a dirge; an elegy)

   Synonyms: lamentacja, tren

Declension

Declension of lament

	singular	plural
nominative	lament	lamenty
genitive	lamentu	lamentów
dative	lamentowi	lamentom
accusative	lament	lamenty
instrumental	lamentem	lamentami
locative	lamencie	lamentach
vocative	lamencie	lamenty

Derived terms

verbs

• lamencić impf
• lamentować impf

 

Related terms

adjectives

• lamentacyjny

 

nouns

• lamentacja

 

Further reading

• lament in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• lament in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• lament in PWN's encyclopedia

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin lamentum.

Noun

lament n (plural lamente)

1. wailing, moaning, weeping

Declension

	singular			plural
	indefinite	definite		indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	lament	lamentul		lamente	lamentele
genitive-dative	lament	lamentului		lamente	lamentelor
vocative	lamentule			lamentelor

References

• lament in Academia Română, Micul dicționar academic, ediția a II-a, Bucharest: Univers Enciclopedic, 2010. →ISBN