Meanings
plural lamentations
- countableuncountableThe act of lamenting.
About John Marin, there move sad, disgruntled beings, full of talk and lamentations. [...] They bewail the fact that in America, soil is poor and unconducive to growth, and men remain unmoved by growing green. But Marin persists, and what ebullience and good humour, in the rocky ungentle loam?
1922 April, Paul Rosenfeld, “The Water-Colours of John Marin: A Note on the Work of the First American Painter of the Day”, in John Peale Bishop, editor, Vanity Fair, volume 18, number 2, New York, N.Y.: Vanity Fair Publishing Company, →OCLC, page 48, column 2 - countableuncountablelamentatio, (part of) a liturgical Bible text (from the book of Job) and its musical settings, usually in the plural; hence, any dirge
- countableuncountableA group of swans.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA sorrowful cry; a lament.
nounSpecifically, mourning.
More synonyms by meaning
nounthe passionate and demonstrative activity of expressing grief
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*leh₂-
- Proto-Indo-European*léh₂mn̥tom
- Proto-Italic*lāmentom
- Latinlāmentum
- Latinlāmentor
- Latinlāmentātiō
- Middle Frenchlamentation
- Latinlāmentātiō
- Middle Englishlamentacioun
- Englishlamentation
Recorded since 1375, from Middle English lamentacioun, from Middle French lamentation and its etymon Latin lāmentātiō (“wailing, moaning, weeping”), from the deponent verb lāmentor, from lāmentum (“wail; wailing”), itself from a Proto-Indo-European *leh₂- (“to howl”), presumed ultimately imitative. Replaced Old English cwiþan. By surface analysis, lament + -ation.
More words from Middle English, Middle French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek θρῆνος
- θρῆνος (thrênos)mourning
Bulgarian тъга, печал
- тъга (tăga)the act of lamenting
- печал (pečal)the act of lamenting
- вопъл (vopăl)a sorrowful cry; a lament
- ридание (ridanie)a sorrowful cry; a lament
- оплакване (oplakvane)mourning
Dutch geklaag, geweeklaag
- geklaagthe act of lamenting
- geweeklaagthe act of lamenting
- klagenthe act of lamenting
- weeklagenthe act of lamenting
- lamentatiea sorrowful cry; a lament
- rouwklachtmourning
Esperanto lamentado
- lamentadoa sorrowful cry; a lament
Finnish valitus, sureminen
- valitusthe act of lamenting
- sureminenthe act of lamenting
- valitusvirsia sorrowful cry; a lament
- sureminenmourning
Hindi विलाप, विलाप
- विलाप (vilāp)the act of lamenting
- विलाप (vilāp)a sorrowful cry; a lament
- विलाप (vilāp)mourning
Irish acaoineadh, mairgneach
- acaoineadhthe act of lamenting
- mairgneachthe act of lamenting
- acaoineadha sorrowful cry; a lament
- mairgneachmourning
Italian lamento
- lamentothe act of lamenting
Latin lāmentātiō, lamentum
- lāmentātiōthe act of lamenting
- lamentuma sorrowful cry; a lament
Polish lament, lamentacja
- lamentthe act of lamenting
- lamentacjathe act of lamenting
- lamenta sorrowful cry; a lament
- lamentowaniea sorrowful cry; a lament
- lamentacjaa sorrowful cry; a lament
- lamentmourning
- lamentowaniemourning
- lamentacjamourning
- stadoa group of swans
Romanian lamentare, lamentație
- lamentarethe act of lamenting
- lamentațiethe act of lamenting
- lamentarea sorrowful cry; a lament
- doliumourning
Russian стенание, плач
- стенание (stenanije)the act of lamenting
- плач (plač)a sorrowful cry; a lament
- стенание (stenanije)mourning
Turkish yas, matem
- yasmourning
- matemmourning
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with lamentation
Anagrams
Cite this entry
lamentation. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lamentation
“lamentation.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lamentation. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lamentation,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lamentation.
Source: lamentation on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.