rhizoverbBeta
DictionarylamentationExpression of grief
noun

lamentation

lam-uhn-TAY-shun/ˌlæmənˈteɪʃn/

An expression of grief or mourning.

The man's tearful lamentation continues beside the portrait while his companion comforts him.

Two adults beside a small framed portrait and a simple bunch of flowers; one visibly weeps into a handkerchief while the other comforts him, making the expression of grief central; no funeral writing.
Etymology
lamentLatinto wail, mourn
+ationLatinact or process

The action ending turns wailing or mourning into the act of expressing grief. A lamentation is therefore sorrow given expression, not merely sorrow felt inwardly.

In context

Libranima424:14
two wept bitterly— Priam, as he lay at Achilles feet, weeping for Hector, and Achilles now for his father and now for Patroclus, till the house was filled with their lamentation.
The Iliad - Homer (Illustrated Audiobook) Part 2 of 2

More examples

  • The poem is a lamentation for lives lost in war.
  • We hear her lamentations from the room next door.
  • He sits beside his father's grave in quiet lamentation.

Forms

lamentation · lamentations

lament verb — To express grief or deep sorrow.

Similar words

lament
Often names a particular cry, poem, or grieving song.
wailing
Emphasizes loud, prolonged cries rather than any expression of grief.