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Added 10 October 2026

lament

/ləˈmɛnt/ noun

In Latin: lamentum Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about lament at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A cry of sorrow and grief.
their pitiful laments could be heard throughout the ward
A song or hymn of mourning composed or performed as a memorial to a dead person.
A mournful poem; a lament for the dead.

verb

Express grief verbally.
we lamented the death of the child
Regret strongly.
I deplore this hostile action

Origin

A back-formation from lamentation or else from Middle French lamenter and its etymon Latin lāmentor (“to wail, weep”), from lāmentum (“wailing, moaning, weeping”); with formative -mentum, from the root *la-, probably ultimately imitative. Also see latrare.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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