lamentation

C2 Topic:Actions & Processes

UK /ˌlæm.ənˈteɪ.ʃən/ See IPA manual

Freq #66033

Meanings

1

noun
The act of expressing deep grief, often loudly; a sorrowful cry.

The news of the disaster was met with cries of lamentation.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the act of expressing deep... mourning lament wail

Word family

Forms lamentations

Related forms lament lamentable lamented

Etymology

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.

lamentacioun Middle English lamentation Middle French lāmentātiō Latin *leh₂- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# lamentation

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (UK):** /ˌlæm.ənˈteɪ.ʃən/
**Frequency rank:** 66033

## Meanings
1. The act of expressing deep grief, often loudly; a sorrowful cry.

## Examples
- The news of the disaster was met with cries of lamentation.

## Related Forms
- lament
- lamentable
- lamented

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: lamentacioun
- Root: lamentation
- Root: lāmentātiō
- Root: *leh₂-

## Etymology
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.

## AI Etymology
Lamentation is 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. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern nominal form is built from the named base and affix. Important recorded forms include lamentacioun (Middle English), lamentation (Middle French), lāmentātiō (Latin), and *leh₂- (Proto-Indo-European). Current senses include the act of expressing deep grief, often loudly; a sorrowful cry. The wider family includes related words such as lament, lamentable, and lamented.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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