WAIL

lament, lamentation, plaint, wail

(noun) a cry of sorrow and grief; “their pitiful laments could be heard throughout the ward”

wail, whimper, mewl, pule

(verb) cry weakly or softly; “she wailed with pain”

howl, ululate, wail, roar, yawl, yaup

(verb) emit long loud cries; “wail in self-pity”; “howl with sorrow”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology 1

Verb

wail (third-person singular simple present wails, present participle wailing, simple past and past participle wailed)

(intransitive) To cry out, as in sorrow or anguish.

(intransitive) To weep, lament persistently or bitterly.

(intransitive) To make a noise like mourning or crying.

(transitive) To lament; to bewail; to grieve over.

(slang, music) To perform with great liveliness and force.

Noun

wail (plural wails)

A prolonged cry, usually high-pitched, especially as of grief or anguish. [from 15th c.]

Any similar sound as of lamentation; a howl.

A sound made by emergency vehicle sirens, contrasted with "yelp" which is higher-pitched and faster.

Etymology 2

Verb

wail (third-person singular simple present wails, present participle wailing, simple past and past participle wailed)

(obsolete) synonym of wale

Anagrams

• wali, wila, wāli

Source: Wiktionary


Wail, v. t. Etym: [Cf. Icel. val choice, velja to choose, akin to Goth. waljan, G. wÀhlen.]

Definition: To choose; to select. [Obs.] "Wailed wine and meats." Henryson.

Wail, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Wailed; p. pr. & vb. n. Wailing.] Etym: [OE. wailen, weilen, probably fr. Icel. vĂŠla; cf. Icel. vĂŠ, vei, woe, and E. wayment, also OE. wai, wei, woe. Cf. Woe.]

Definition: To lament; to bewail; to grieve over; as, to wail one's death. Shak.

Wail, v. i.

Definition: To express sorrow audibly; to make mournful outcry; to weep. Therefore I will wail and howl. Micah i. 8.

Wail, n.

Definition: Loud weeping; violent lamentation; wailing. "The wail of the forest." Longfellow.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

29 May 2025

CRITICAL

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Coffee Trivia

According to Guinness World Records, the largest coffee shop is the Al Masaa Café, which has 1,050 seats. The coffee shop was inaugurated in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 13 August 2014.

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