la·ment

(lə-mĕnt′)

v. la·ment·ed, la·ment·ing, la·ments

v.tr.

1. To express grief for or about; mourn: lament a death.

2. To regret deeply; deplore: He lamented his thoughtless acts.

v.intr.

1. To grieve audibly; wail.

2. To express sorrow or regret. See Synonyms at grieve.

1. A feeling or expression of grief; a lamentation.

2. A song or poem expressing deep grief or mourning.

[Middle English lementen, from Old French lamenter, from Latin lāmentārī, from lāmentum, lament.]

la·ment′er n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

lamenter - a person who is feeling grief (as grieving over someone who has died)

griever, mourner, sorrower

unfortunate, unfortunate person - a person who suffers misfortune

pallbearer, bearer - one of the mourners carrying the coffin at a funeral

wailer - a mourner who utters long loud high-pitched cries

weeper - a hired mourner

Mentioned in

References in periodicals archive

"The Ingrian Lamenter as Psychopomp." Temenos, vol.

From Folklore to Fantasy: The Living Dead, Metamorphoses, and Other Strange Things

A tragic lament bemoans the impossible moral situation in which the lamenter finds himself.

St. Paul's Letters and Classical Culture

Plutot que de se lamenter devant la deception provoquee par l'idee de determinismes sociaux, il faudrait tout d'abord chercher a savoir si ceux-ci existent ou s'ils ne sont que de pures vues de l'esprit.

Ce que peut la sociologie

While I tend not to be too concerned by name calling I would prefer being called a "lamenter" as this is probably more accurate.

I will lament Britain's loss

Sometimes I will see whether the lamenter has an interest in unpacking the issue.

Have trouble finding good employees? Offer them a good job

Plutot que de se lamenter, et conscient du vitalisme ambiant, il est temps de mettre en reuvre un nouveau Discours de la methode qui soit un eclai- rage retrospectif.

L'ecosophie: sagesse de La Maison Commune/Ecosofia: sabedoria da Casa Comum

[A]u coeur de la tombe, au seuil de l'abime, au dernier instant de leur vie, au lieu de se lamenter, au lieu de pleurer sur leurs jeunes vies perdues--des etres humains font entendre un chant!

Requiem pour un cadavre

Le mal est fait et il ne sert a rien de continuer a se lamenter. Leekens et sa troupe doivent jeter aux oubliettes leur deconvenue d'Uyo et se projeter sur la prochaine Coupe d'Afrique des nations.

L'operation rachat des Verts passe par une grande CAN-2017

Based on Dictionnaire historique de la langue frangaise (Historical Dictionary of the French Language) directed by Alain Rey, >> la syllable initial cha- est obscure: si elle represente chat, chagriner signifiait proprement: "se lamenter comme les chats" << (Rey 2000) (>> the initial syllable cha- is obscure: if it represents cat, chagriner would properly signify >> to lament as the cats do <<) (4).

THE ROLE OF FRENCH LOANWORDS IN ENGLISH VOCABULARY INSTRUCTION