wail
/weɪl/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.90 in modern English
7
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A prolonged cry, usually high-pitched, especially as of grief or anguish.
noun
Any similar sound as of lamentation; a howl.
noun
A sound made by emergency vehicle sirens, contrasted with "yelp" which is higher-pitched and faster.
Example Sentences
- "The wind wailed and the rain streamed down."
- "to wail one's death"
- "My lord, wise men ne'er sit and wail their woes"
- "Another outstanding surfer from Hawaii - Fred Hemmings. Fred only stands up on alternate Wednesdays, but when he does, he really wails."
- "At Boston's Roseland, as "the Count's band was wailing," he grabbed Mamie, an avid dancer. The "band was screaming when she kicked off her shoes and got barefooted"
- "The band was really wailing as we quickly made our dance moves in a most provocative manner."
Etymology
c. 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. The verb is first attested in the intransitive sense; the transitive sense developed in mid-14ᵗʰ c.. The noun came from the verb.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Usage
Inflected Forms
Derived Forms
Phrases
Synonyms
groan
moan
burst into tears
beweep
cry
cry one's eyes out
greet
shed a tear
shed tears
squirt some
wail
weep