wail

6 definitions found

wail - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Wail \Wail\, v. t. [Cf. Icel. val choice, velja to choose, akin
     to Goth. waljan, G. w[aum]hlen.]
     To choose; to select. [Obs.] "Wailed wine and meats."
     --Henryson.
     [1913 Webster]

  Wail \Wail\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Wailed; p. pr. & vb. n.
     Wailing.] [OE. wailen, weilen, probably fr. Icel. v[ae]la;
     cf. Icel. v[ae], vei, woe, and E. wayment, also OE. wai, wei,
     woe. Cf. Woe.]
     To lament; to bewail; to grieve over; as, to wail one's
     death. --Shak.
     [1913 Webster]

  Wail \Wail\, v. i.
     To express sorrow audibly; to make mournful outcry; to weep.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           Therefore I will wail and howl. --Micah i. 8.
     [1913 Webster]

  Wail \Wail\, n.
     Loud weeping; violent lamentation; wailing. "The wail of the
     forest." --Longfellow.
     [1913 Webster]

wail - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  wail
      n 1: a cry of sorrow and grief; "their pitiful laments could be
           heard throughout the ward" [syn: lament, lamentation,
           plaint, wail]
      v 1: emit long loud cries; "wail in self-pity"; "howl with
           sorrow" [syn: howl, ululate, wail, roar, yawl,
           yaup]
      2: cry weakly or softly; "she wailed with pain" [syn: wail,
         whimper, mewl, pule]

wail - Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 :

  110 Moby Thesaurus words for "wail":
     bark, bawl, bay, bell, bellow, blare, blat, blate, bleat, blubber,
     boohoo, boom, bray, breathe, buzz, cackle, call, caterwaul, chant,
     chirp, coo, creak, crow, cry, cry out, dolorous tirade, drawl,
     exclaim, flute, fuss, gasp, give tongue, give voice, groan, growl,
     grunt, hiss, howl, jeremiad, keen, kick, lament, lilt, low,
     make an outcry, meow, mew, mewl, miaow, moan, moo, mumble, murmur,
     mutter, neigh, nicker, outcry, pant, pipe, plaint, planctus, pule,
     quest, repine, roar, rumble, screak, scream, screech, shriek,
     shrill, sibilate, sigh, sing, skirl, skreigh, snap, snarl, snort,
     sob, sough, squall, squawk, squeak, squeal, thunder, tirade, troat,
     trumpet, twang, ululate, ululation, wail of woe, warble, weep,
     whicker, whimper, whine, whinny, whisper, whistle, wrawl, yammer,
     yap, yawl, yawp, yell, yelp, yip, yowl