Meanings
- not comparableThat groans.
- figurativelynot comparableHeavily laden, as if to creak under the strain.
We sat down to a groaning table and feasted all evening.
plural groanings
- A low sound associated with extended suffering, sorrow, and toil.
From the nearby rail yards came clangings, groanings, chuggings.
1997, Helen Papanikolas, A Greek Odyssey in the American West, page 5 - abbreviationellipsisobsoleteEllipsis of groaning time (“childbirth, labour”).
- gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of groan
Origin
- Old Englishgrānung
- Middle Englishgronynge“groaning”
- Englishgroaning
From Middle English gronynge (“groaning”), from Old English grānung; equivalent to groan + -ing. Conflated with Middle English gronende, present participle of gronen, from Old English grāniende, present participle of grānian (“to groan”). Analyzable as groan + -ing.
More words from Middle English, Old English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek μυχμός
- μυχμός (mukhmós)sound
Finnish valittava, urina
- valittavaTranslations
- urinasound
- voihkaisusound
- ähkinäsound
- ähkesound
- ähkintäsound
- ähkyntäsound
German ächzend, stöhnend
- ächzendTranslations
- stöhnendTranslations
- Ächzensound
- Geächzesound
- Gestöhnsound
- Gestöhnesound
- Stöhnensound
Irish ochlán
- ochlánsound
Spanish gemidor, gemebundo
- gemidorTranslations
- gemebundoTranslations
Turkish inleyerek, sızlanarak
- inleyerekTranslations
- sızlanarakTranslations
- feryatsound
- inlemeksound
- sızlanmaksound
Cite this entry
groaning. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/groaning
“groaning.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/groaning. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “groaning,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/groaning.
Source: groaning on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.