wail

wail · verb, noun¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*wáy
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*wai
3. Old Norse · derived fromvæla“to wail”
4. Middle English · inherited fromweilen
5. English todaywail

c. 1300, Middle English weilen, waylen (“to sob, cry, wail”), from Old Norse væla (“to wail”), from væ, vei (“woe”), from Proto-Germanic *wai (whence also Old English wā (“woe”) (English woe)), from Proto-Indo-European *wáy. The verb is first attested in the intransitive sense; the transitive sense developed in mid-14ᵗʰ c.. The noun came from the verb.

wail · verb²

1. Old Norse · derived fromval“choice”
2. English todaywail

From Old Norse val (“choice”). Compare Icelandic velja (“to choose”). More at wale.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from 15ᵗʰ c. A prolonged cry, usually high-pitched, especially as of grief or anguish.