Etymology

moan

M3O1A1N1

Today it means: A low, mournful cry of pain, sorrow or pleasure. Full definition →

First used 13th c.Middle English mone ← Old English *mān ← Proto-West Germanic *mainu
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moan · noun, verb1

  1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*mainō“opinion; mind”
  2. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*mainu
  3. Old English · inherited from*mān
  4. Middle English · inherited frommone
  5. English todaymoan

From Middle English mone, mane, mān, (also as mene), from Old English *mān, *mǣn (“complaint; lamentation”), from Proto-West Germanic *mainu, from Proto-Germanic *mainō (“opinion; mind”). Cognate with Old Frisian mēne (“opinion”), Old High German meina (“opinion”). Old English *mān, *mǣn is inferred from Old English mǣnan (“to complain over; grieve; mourn”). More at mean.

moan · adjective2

From moa + -an.

Words from the same roots

Middle Englishmone all →

moonmunmone

Old English*mān all →

kempery-man

First known use, by meaning

  • from 13th c. To complain about; to bemoan, to bewail; to mourn.
  • from 14th c. To grieve.
  • from 18th c. To make a moan or similar sound.
  • from 19th c. To say in a moan, or with a moaning voice.
  • from 20th c. To complain; to grumble.
  • 15th–17th c. To distress (someone); to sadden.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.