Lamentation

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /ËŒlæm.É›nˈteɪ.ʃən/, /ËŒlæm.ɪnˈteɪ.ʃən/
• Rhymes: -eɪʃən

Origin

recorded since 1375, from Latin lamentatio ("wailing, moaning, weeping"), from the deponent verb lāmentor, from lāmentum ("wail; wailing"), itself from a Proto-Indo-European *la- ("to shout, cry"), presumed ultimately imitative. Replaced Old English cwiþan. Lament is a 16th-century back-formation.

Full definition of lamentation

Noun

1. The act of lamenting.
2. A sorrowful cry; a lament.
3. Specifically, mourning.
4. lamentatio, (part of) a liturgical Bible text (from the book of Job) and its musical settings, usually in the plural; hence, any dirge
5. A group of swans.

Related terms

• lament
• lamentable
• lamented