wail
To cry out, as in sorrow or anguishTo cry out, as in sorrow or anguish.
» Tom wailed in pain.
Meaning
6 senses(intransitive)To cry out, as in sorrow or anguish.
jammern, heulen
вопи́тьvopítʹ
cry weakly or softly
(intransitive)To weep, lament persistently or bitterly.
heulen, wehklagen
вытьvytʹ, вопи́тьvopítʹ, стена́тьstenátʹ
(intransitive)To make a noise like mourning or crying.
The wind wailed and the rain streamed down.
heulen
вытьvytʹ
(transitive)To lament; to bewail; to grieve over.
to wail one's death
klagen, wehklagen, beweinen
(slang)To perform with great liveliness and force.
jaulen
(obsolete)Synonym of wale (“to choose; to select”).
Examples
34 sentencesTom wailed in pain.
This wailing needs to stop immediately.
ruЭти вопли должны немедленно прекратиться!
His mother wailed over his death.
The baby wailed because it was hungry.
ruГрудничок хныкал от голода.
deDas Baby heulte vor Hunger.
She does nothing but wail all day.
deSie tut nichts, als den ganzen Tag zu heulen.
Translations
7 languagesBy meaning 2
By meaning 4
Origin
c. 1300, Middle English weilen, waylen (“to sob, cry, wail”), from Old Norse væla (“to waic. 1300, Middle English weilen, waylen (“to sob, cry, wail”), from Old Norse væla (“to wail”), from væ, vei (“woe”), from Proto-Germanic *wai (whence also Old English wā (“woe”) (English woe)), from Proto-Indo-European *wáy.
From Old Norse val (“choice”). Compare Icelandic velja (“to choose”). More at wale.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
wails, wailing, wailed, wailedSynonyms
41 synonymsWord family
8 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle