| 释义 |
wail
I. \ˈwāl, esp before pause or consonant -āəl\ verb
(-ed/-ing/-s)
Etymology: Middle English wailen, weilen, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse væla, vāla to wail; akin to Old Norse vei woe — more at woe
intransitive verb
1. : to express sorrow audibly : make mournful outcry : lament, weep
< a child wailing for his mother >
2. : to make a sound resembling or suggestive of a mournful cry
< deep in the grass … the curlew wailed — Eve Langley >
3. : to express dissatisfaction plaintively : complain
< stop wailing about our divisions and emphasize our unity — W.E.Barton >
transitive verb
archaic : to grieve over : bewail
< wail her wretched fate — William Morris >
II. noun
(-s)
Etymology: Middle English, from wailen
1. : the act, process, or practice of wailing : loud lamentation : keen
< there was weeping and wail from young and old — Tom Taylor >
2.
a. : a usually prolonged cry or sound expressing grief or pain
< a long broken wail of pain — Scott Fitzgerald >
b. : a sound suggestive of wailing
< the wail of an air-raid siren >
c. : a querulous expression of grievance : complaint
< their wails penetrated the offices of local officialdom — New York Times > |