Lachrymose

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈlæk.ɹɪ.moʊs/

Definitions

1. Inclined to cry or characterized by excessive weeping and tears
2. Prone to shedding tears or exhibiting sadness, often related to emotions that provoke crying or a state of sorrowfulness
3. Often feeling or demonstrating sorrow through persistent tearing up

Etymology: "Lachrymose" is a learned borrowing from Latin "lachrymosus" and "lacrimosus," both meaning "full of tears" or "tearful." The Latin base is "lachryma" or "lacrima," meaning "tear," with the suffix "-osus," which means "-ful." That noun traces back to an Old Latin form "dacrima," and further still to a Proto-Indo-European root "*dakru-," which also gave English the word "tear" in its weeping sense. The surprise is that the English word "tear" and the Latin "lacrima" are close relatives, sharing a root that once began with a "d" sound. Over centuries, the Latin form shifted from "dacrima" to "lacrima," and the initial "d" changed in the process, while the English descendant kept a different path of development. The two words share an ancestor but went their separate ways. English adopted "lachrymose" as a learned word drawn straight from Latin, which is why its spelling keeps the "ch" and the "y" that the simpler "lacrimose" form drops.

Synonyms: tearful, sorrowful

Antonyms: cheerful