Bewail

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /bɪˈweɪl/

Definitions

1. To express sorrow or regret about something with deep lamentation or mourning
2. To express deep sorrow and regret for something through vocal expressions of grief and distress
3. To express profound sorrow or regret over something through vocal lamentation and mournful outcry

Etymology: Grief is loud in this word. "Bewail" is built from the prefix "be-", which here carries the sense "over" or "about", and "wail", a verb for a high, mournful cry. Together they describe weeping over something, rather than simply feeling sorrow about it. The base "wail" entered English from Old Norse "væla" (to lament), so the word's core is a Scandinavian import that reached English through the Norse-speaking settlers of the north. The prefix "be-" was a productive Old English device for turning a verb into one that acts upon or around its object, the same mechanism behind "bemoan" and "bestride". The form itself comes from Middle English "bewailen", which joined that prefix to "wail" and gave English a verb meaning to lament something aloud. Its modern sense of expressing deep regret through vocal grief preserves that original emphasis on the sound of mourning.

Synonyms: lament, mourn, grieve, wail, sorrow

Antonyms: rejoice, celebrate, be happy, exult, delight