Wailings

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Expressions of deep sorrow or anguish conveyed through loud cries or vocalizations
2. A series of mournful sounds, typically associated with grief or despair, made by a person in distress
3. Pronounced outbursts of lamentation that reflect emotional pain or heartache, often heard in moments of loss or suffering

Etymology: "Wailings" is simply the plural of "wailing," the noun formed from the verb "wail" plus the suffix "-ing." Because the suffix turns the verb into a noun for the act itself, "wailing" names a single outburst of lament, and the plural counts several such outbursts, as when a house fills with cries after a death. "Wail" is the older and more basic of the two. It describes a long, high, mournful cry, and it is the root from which the noun and its plural are built. The noun carries the sense of the sound made in grief or pain rather than the action of making it, which is why it can be heard as a sound in its own right.

Synonyms: cries, sobs, lamentations, howls, moans

Antonyms: laughter, cheers, exclamations, applauses, shouts