Grieving

grieve  (grv)

v. grieved, griev·ing, grieves

v.tr.

1. To cause to be sorrowful; distress: It grieves me to see you in such pain.

2. To mourn or sorrow for: We grieved the death of our pastor.

3. Usage Problem To file an official or formal grievance on account of (an actual or perceived injustice).

4. Archaic To hurt or harm.

v.intr.

To experience or express grief.

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[Middle English greven, from Old French grever, to harm, from Latin gravre, to burden, from gravis, heavy; see g^wer-¹ in Indo-European roots.]

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griever n.

grieving·ly adv.

Synonyms: grieve, lament, mourn, sorrow
These verbs mean to feel, show, or express grief, sadness, or regret: grieved over her father's death; lamenting about the decline in academic standards; mourns for lost hopes; sorrowed by the level of poverty.

Antonym: rejoice

Usage Note: Traditionally, the transitive verb grieve, meaning "to cause to be sorrowful; distress," has taken as its direct object the person who is sorrowful or distressed, as in It grieves me to see so many homeless in the city. In addition to this use of the word, a newer syntactic pattern has developed, in which the direct object refers to that which causes one sorrow or distress. Sixty-two percent of the Usage Panel approves of this use, as in She took a week off to attend her father's funeral and grieve his loss. The Panel, however, largely frowns upon extending the semantic domain of the transitive verb grieve to mean "to file a formal or an official grievance." Only 14 percent approves of its use in a context in which a coach who was asked to resign had grieved his dismissal. This strong reaction may be due to the discomfort of extending a solemn, mournful term into less somber situations; however, this sense is useful in the context of union-management labor relations.

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Grieving 

(See also DEJECTION.)

come home by Weeping Cross To suffer disappointment or failure; to mourn, to lament; to be penitent and remorseful. The origin of this now rarely heard expression is obscure. There are several place names of this designation in England, but the common explanation that they were the site of penitential devotions is without substance. Use of the expression may have given rise to the explanation, rather than vice versa; for example, the following passage from Lyly’s Euphues (1580):

The time will come when coming home by weeping cross, thou shalt confess.

in sackcloth and ashes In a state of remorse and penitence; contrite, repentant; in mourning, sorrowful. This expression alludes to the ancient Hebrew custom of wearing sackcloth, a coarse fabric of camel’s or goat’s hair, and ashes (usually sprinkled on the head) to humble one-self as a sign of sorrow or penitence. Among the Biblical references to this custom is that in the Book of Daniel (9:3):

Then I turned my face to the Lord, God, seeking him by prayer and supplications with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.

The expression has been used metaphorically for centuries.

He knew that for all that had befallen she was mourning in mental sackcloth and ashes. (Hugh Conway, A Family Affair, 1805)

A common variation is wearing sackcloth and ashes.

wear the willow To mourn the death of a mate; to suffer from unrequited love. The willow, especially the weeping willow, has long been a symbol of sorrow or grief. Psalm 137:1-2 is said to explain why the branches of the willow tree droop:

By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.

Wear the willow appeared in print by the 16th century but is rarely, if ever, heard today.

There’s … Marie … wearing the willow because … Engemann is away courting Madam Carouge. (Katharine S. Macquoid, At the Red Glove, 1885)

Thesaurus

Adj.

1.

grieving - sorrowful through loss or deprivation; "bereft of hope" bereaved, grief-stricken, mourning, sorrowing, bereft sorrowful - experiencing or marked by or expressing sorrow especially that associated with irreparable loss; "sorrowful widows"; "a sorrowful tale of death and despair"; "sorrowful news"; "even in laughter the heart is sorrowful"- Proverbs 14:13

Translations

grieving [ˈgriːvɪŋ] ADJ [family, relatives] → afligido
the grieving process → el duelo