lamentation

[ lam-uh n-tey-shuh n ]

/ ˌlæm ənˈteɪ ʃən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR lamentation ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act of lamenting or expressing grief.

a lament.

Lamentations, (used with a singular verb) a book of the Bible, traditionally ascribed to Jeremiah. Abbreviation: Lam.

Nearby words

Origin of lamentation

1325–75; < Latin lāmentātiōn- (stem of lāmentātiō), equivalent to lāmentāt(us) (past participle of lāmentārī; see lament) + -iōn- -ion; replacing Middle English lamentacioun < Anglo-French ≪ Latin, as above

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for lamentation

But even as this book celebrates these women and their work, it is also a lamentation for a life on its way out.
The World Would Go to Hell Without Nuns|William O’Connor|September 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Through the dark, cold winter, the walls on Muhammad Mahmoud erupted into huge images of celebration, lamentation, and commentary.
Ahdaf Soueif’s Cairo: Remembering A City Wracked By The Arab Spring|Ahdaf Soueif|January 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On the summit of a height called Mostyn mountain, is a monumental stone denominated Maen Achwynfan (the stone of lamentation).
Curiousities of Great Britain: England and Wales Delineated Vol. 1|Thomas Dugdale
He watched the knight enter the chapel, and heard the cry and lamentation that he made.
French Mediaeval Romances from the Lays of Marie de France|Marie de France

There was something so inconceivably droll in the lamentation that his hearers laughed despite their uneasiness.
The Man From Brodney's|George Barr McCutcheon
The transition from lamentation to prayer is always good for the sufferer.
Expositor's Bible: The Song of Solomon|Walter Adeney
So the colonel broke into a lamentation, and a fury, and a wonder.
The House by the Church-Yard|J. Sheridan Le Fanu

British Dictionary definitions for lamentation

lamentation

/ (ˌlæmɛnˈteɪʃən) /

noun

a lament; expression of sorrow

the act of lamenting

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for lamentation

lamentation

late 14c., from Old French lamentacion and directly from Latin lamentationem (nominative lamentatio) "wailing, moaning, weeping," noun of action from past participle stem of lamentari "to wail, moan, weep, lament," from lamentum "a wailing," from PIE root *la- "to shout, cry," probably ultimately imitative. Replaced Old English cwiþan.

lamentation

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of lamentation

Examples from the Web for lamentation

lamentation

noun

lamentation