Ruing

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Experiencing sorrow or regret for a past action or decision
2. Feeling deep remorse or sadness about something done or missed
3. Having a sense of guilt or repentance for a choice or event in the past

Etymology: Ruing is the present participle of rue, and rue in its sense of regret descends from the Old English verb "hreowan", meaning to feel sorrow or repentance. Its Middle English forms, such as "reowen" and "ruwen", show the word still sounding close to its ancestor. German "reuen" still means to regret, and Dutch "rouwen" means to mourn. The most surprising link is in Russian. "Krushit'" means to destroy or shatter, while "sokrushat'sya" means to be distressed or to grieve. The two words may share an ancient root, with the sense moving from breaking things to being broken inwardly by sorrow. This connection is probable rather than proven, so it is best read as a plausible parallel. Rue the plant is a separate word with its own history, and it is not connected to the verb. Its identical spelling is a coincidence of two unrelated English words.

Synonyms: regretting, lamenting, repenting, mourning, grieving

Antonyms: celebrating, rejoicing, delighting, embracing, accepting