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, adjectiveWORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH wail
wail whaleWords nearby wail
waichow,
waif,
waikaremoana,
waikato,
waikiki,
wail,
wail like a banshee,
wailful,
wailsome,
wailuku,
wain
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, adverbWord Origin for wail
C14: of Scandinavian origin; related to Old Norse
vǣla to wail, Old English
wā
woe