wail
[ weyl ]
/ weɪl /
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
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RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
- waif,
- waifish,
- waikaremoana,
- waikato,
- waikiki,
- wail like a banshee,
- wailful,
- wailfully,
- wailsome,
- wailuku
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
Examples from the Web for wailer
Then follows the story: Luisa, the Wailer, in life was a woman of the people, very beautiful.
Legends of the City of Mexico|Thomas A. JanvierAfter weeping over her dead body he sets out in search of a Wailer.
Russian Fairy Tales|W. R. S. Ralston
wail
/ (weɪl) /
verb
(intr) to utter a prolonged high-pitched cry, as of grief or misery
(intr) to make a sound resembling such a crythe wind wailed in the trees
(tr) to lament, esp with mournful sounds
noun
a prolonged high-pitched mournful cry or sound
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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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper