lament Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a cry of sorrow and grief
    wail; lamentation; plaint.
    • their pitiful laments could be heard throughout the ward
  2. noun a song or hymn of mourning composed or performed as a memorial to a dead person
    dirge; coronach; threnody; requiem.
  3. noun a mournful poem; a lament for the dead
    elegy.
  4. verb express grief verbally
    keen.
    • we lamented the death of the child
  5. verb regret strongly
    bemoan; bewail; deplore.
    • I deplore this hostile action
    • we lamented the loss of benefits

WordNet

La*ment" intransitive verb
Etymology
F. lamenter, L. lamentari, fr. lamentum a lament.
Definitions
  1. To express or feel sorrow; to weep or wail; to mourn.
    Jeremiah lamented for Josiah. 2 Chron. xxxv. 25.
    Ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice. John xvi. 20.
La*ment" transitive verb
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Lamented; present participle & verbal noun Lamenting
Definitions
  1. To mourn for; to bemoan; to bewail.
    One laughed at follies, one lamented crimes. Dryden.
    Syn. -- To deplore; mourn; bewail. See Deplore.
La*ment" noun
Etymology
L. lamentum. Cf. Lament, v.
Definitions
  1. Grief or sorrow expressed in complaints or cries; lamentation; a wailing; a moaning; a weeping.
    Torment, and loud lament, and furious rage. Milton.
  2. An elegy or mournful ballad, or the like.

Webster 1913