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

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

OTHER WORDS FROM wail

wail·er, noun wail·ing·ly, adverb un·wailed, adjective un·wail·ing, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH wail

wail whale

Example sentences from the Web for wailing

British Dictionary definitions for wailing

wail
/ (weɪl) /

verb

(intr) to utter a prolonged high-pitched cry, as of grief or misery
(intr) to make a sound resembling such a cry the wind wailed in the trees
(tr) to lament, esp with mournful sounds

noun

a prolonged high-pitched mournful cry or sound

Derived forms of wail

wailer, noun wailful, adjective wailfully, adverb

Word Origin for wail

C14: of Scandinavian origin; related to Old Norse vǣla to wail, Old English woe