wail
[weyl]
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
to express deep sorrow for; mourn; lament; bewail: to wail the dead; to wail one's fate.
to express in wailing; cry or say in lamentation: to wail one's grief.
noun
Origin of wail
1300–50; Middle English weile (v. and noun), perhaps derivative of Old English weilā(wei) well-away; compare Old English wǣlan to torment, Old Norse wǣla to wail
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Related Words for wail
moan, sob, fuss, whimper, grieve, mourn, weep, howl, bemoan, bewail, jowl, lament, repine, whine, bawl, bay, squall, keen, deplore, complainExamples from the Web for wail
Contemporary Examples of wail
Historical Examples of wail
Linda looked at her as she buried her face and began to wail.
Her Father's DaughterGene Stratton-Porter
She was too terrified to add her weeping to the wail of the wind—it would have been too ghastly.
DustMr. and Mrs. Haldeman-Julius
It's the wail of a lost spirit, loosed temporarily from the horrors of purgatory.
Good IndianB. M. Bower
The voice changed into what was almost a wail of indignation.
The Coryston FamilyMrs. Humphry Ward
No shriek, no wail, no word succeeded—all was as silent as the grave.
wail
verb
noun
Word Origin for wail
C14: of Scandinavian origin; related to Old Norse vǣla to wail, Old English wā woe
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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