lamentation
/ˌlæm.ənˈteɪ.ʃən/
lamentation · noun — the act of lamenting. It carries an Arena rating of 1685, earned across 33 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, lamentation ranks #2,363 of 17,144 for Most Malleable Words, #2,548 of 17,145 for Scariest Words, #3,941 of 17,135 for Most Sublime Words, #4,347 of 17,135 for Most Beautiful Words.
lamentation is pronounced /ˌlæm.ənˈteɪ.ʃən/.
Why “lamentation” is a great word
LAMENTATION — [Noun] The passionate expression of grief or sorrow, especially through wailing, mourning, or a formal composition such as a dirge. From Middle English lamentacioun, from Middle French lamentation, from Latin lāmentātiōn- (stem of lāmentātiō, "wailing, weeping"), from the verb lāmentārī ("to wail"), from lāmentum ("a wail"), from a Proto-Indo-European imitative root *leh₂- ("to howl"). First recorded in English circa 1375. Unlike "elegy" (which formalizes loss into a structured poem) or "deplore" (which voices condemnation more than sorrow), lamentation is the raw, vocal substance of grief itself. It is the guttural wail that escapes before words are possible, the collective keening of a crowd at a public funeral, and the ancient, rhythmic pounding of breasts in a ritualized storm of sorrow—the soul turning its wound into a voice before the long silence of acceptance sets in.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
Recorded since 1375, from Middle English lamentacioun, from Middle French lamentation and its etymon Latin lāmentātiō (“wailing, moaning, weeping”), from the deponent verb lāmentor, from lāmentum (“wail; wailing”), itself from a Proto-Indo-European *leh₂- (“to howl”), presumed ultimately imitative. Replaced Old English cwiþan. By surface analysis, lament + -ation.
noun
- The act of lamenting.
- A sorrowful cry; a lament.
- Specifically, mourning.
- lamentatio, (part of) a liturgical Bible text (from the book of Job) and its musical settings, usually in the plural; hence, any dirge
- A group of swans.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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