wail

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• wāl
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• /weɪl/
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• [weɪɫ]
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• US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• rhymes with -eɪl
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• homophone: wale (pane–pain merger)
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• homophone: whale (wine–whine merger, pane–pain merger)
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• CMU ARPABET: W EY1 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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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.

From Old Norse val (“choice”). Compare Icelandic velja (“to choose”). More at wale.

144 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Bulgarian: вопъл (vopǎl) — loud cry or shriek
• Bulgarian: стон (ston) — loud cry or shriek
• Catalan: gemec — loud cry or shriek
• Danish: hyl — loud cry or shriek
• Danish: jammer — loud cry or shriek
• Danish: klageråb — loud cry or shriek
• Dutch: schreeuw — loud cry or shriek
• Dutch: kreet — loud cry or shriek
• Esperanto: vekrio — loud cry or shriek
• Finnish: ulina — loud cry or shriek
• French: gémissement — loud cry or shriek
• French: plainte — loud cry or shriek
• Galician: laio — loud cry or shriek
• German: Schrei — loud cry or shriek
• German: Schmerzensschrei — loud cry or shriek
• German: Klagelaut — loud cry or shriek
• German: Wehklagen — loud cry or shriek
• German: Kreischen — loud cry or shriek
• Icelandic: æpa — loud cry or shriek
• Italian: urlo — loud cry or shriek
• Italian: gemito — loud cry or shriek
• Italian: lamento — loud cry or shriek
• Japanese: 泣き声 (nakigoe) — loud cry or shriek
• Japanese: うなり (unari) — loud cry or shriek
• Latvian: vaimana — loud cry or shriek
• Persian: ویله (veyle) — loud cry or shriek
• Polish: bek — loud cry or shriek
• Portuguese: gemido — loud cry or shriek
• Russian: вой (voj) — loud cry or shriek
• Russian: вопль (voplʹ) — loud cry or shriek
• Russian: вытьё (vytʹjó) — loud cry or shriek
• Russian: стена́ния (stenánija) — loud cry or shriek
• Spanish: gemido — loud cry or shriek
• German: Heulen — a long drawn out howl
• German: Jaulen — a long drawn out howl
• German: Schrei — a long drawn out howl
• German: Geschrei — a long drawn out howl
• German: Kreischen — a long drawn out howl
• Māori: whakapū — a long drawn out howl
• Bulgarian: вой (voj) — emergency vehicle siren
• German: Heulen — emergency vehicle siren
• Italian: suono di sirena — emergency vehicle siren
• Central Bikol: haya — to cry out
• Bulgarian: стена (stena) — to cry out
• Catalan: plànyer-se — to cry out
• Catalan: gemegar — to cry out
• Chinese Mandarin: 嚎啕 (háotáo) — to cry out
• Chinese Mandarin: 號啕 /号啕 (háotáo) — to cry out
• Chinese Mandarin: 號哭 /号哭 (háokū) — to cry out
• Chinese Mandarin: 啼哭 (tíkū) — to cry out
• Danish: hyle — to cry out
• Danish: jamre — to cry out
• Finnish: ulista — to cry out
• Finnish: itkeä — to cry out
• French: gémir — to cry out
• Galician: salaiar — to cry out
• Galician: laiar — to cry out
• Galician: lanxir — to cry out
• German: jammern — to cry out
• German: heulen — to cry out
• Gothic: 𐌷𐌹𐌿𐍆𐌰𐌽 (hiufan) — to cry out
• Ancient Greek: γοάω (goáō) — to cry out
• Hungarian: jajgat — to cry out
• Hungarian: jajveszékel — to cry out
• Italian: piangere — to cry out
• Italian: lamentarsi — to cry out
• Kazakh: зарлау (zarlau) — to cry out
• Latin: vagio — to cry out
• Marathi: गळा काढणे (gaḷā kāḍhṇe) — to cry out
• Mpade: swe — to cry out
• Norwegian: jamre — to cry out
• Persian: زاری کردن (zâri kardan) — to cry out
• Persian: ضجه زدن (zajje zadan) — to cry out
• Polish: zawodzić — to cry out
• Polish: kwilić — to cry out
• Russian: вопи́ть (vopítʹ) — to cry out
• Spanish: llorar — to cry out
• Spanish: lamentar — to cry out
• Spanish: llantear — to cry out
• Spanish: soltar vagidos — to cry out
• ǃXóõ: gǃkxʻáã — to cry out
• Central Bikol: haya — to weep, lament
• Bulgarian: ридая (ridaja) — to weep, lament
• Bulgarian: оплаквам (oplakvam) — to weep, lament
• Catalan: plorar — to weep, lament
• Catalan: lamentar-se — to weep, lament
• Chinese Cantonese: 哀泣 (oi1 jap1) — to weep, lament
• Chinese Mandarin: 哀泣 (āiqì) — to weep, lament
• Danish: jamre — to weep, lament
• Danish: klage — to weep, lament
• Egyptian: E9:W-E9:W-A2 (jwjw) — to weep, lament
• Finnish: ulista — to weep, lament
• Finnish: itkeä — to weep, lament
• French: se lamenter — to weep, lament
• French: vagir — to weep, lament
• Galician: laiar — to weep, lament
• Galician: salaiar — to weep, lament
• Galician: lanxir — to weep, lament
• German: heulen — to weep, lament
• German: wehklagen — to weep, lament
• Gothic: 𐌵𐌰𐌹𐌽𐍉𐌽 (qainōn) — to weep, lament
• Ancient Greek: ὀδύρομαι (odúromai) — to weep, lament
• Hungarian: sír — to weep, lament
• Hungarian: siránkozik — to weep, lament
• Ingrian: ulissa — to weep, lament
• Italian: lamentarsi — to weep, lament
• Italian: gemere — to weep, lament
• Italian: piagnucolare — to weep, lament
• Mpade: swe — to weep, lament
• Old English: rēotan — to weep, lament
• Persian: گریه و زاری کردن (gerye-o-zâri kardan) — to weep, lament
• Russian: выть (vytʹ) — to weep, lament
• Russian: вопи́ть (vopítʹ) — to weep, lament
• Russian: стена́ть (stenátʹ) — to weep, lament
• Russian: причита́ть (pričitátʹ) — to weep, lament
• Spanish: llorar — to weep, lament
• Turkish: mızmızlanmak — to weep, lament
• Woiwurrung: jale marrn-ngol — to weep, lament
• ǃXóõ: gǃkxʻáã — to weep, lament
• Bulgarian: ридая (ridaja) — to make a sound like crying
• Bulgarian: вия (vija) — to make a sound like crying
• Finnish: ulvoa — to make a sound like crying
• Finnish: ulista — to make a sound like crying
• Finnish: valittaa — to make a sound like crying
• Galician: laiar — to make a sound like crying
• Galician: salaiar — to make a sound like crying
• German: heulen — to make a sound like crying
• Hungarian: süvít — to make a sound like crying
• Italian: gemere — to make a sound like crying
• Italian: lamentarsi — to make a sound like crying
• Italian: ululare — to make a sound like crying
• Māori: whakapū — to make a sound like crying
• Russian: выть (vytʹ) — to make a sound like crying
• Spanish: gemir — to make a sound like crying
• Bulgarian: оплаквам (oplakvam) — to grieve over
• German: klagen — to grieve over
• German: wehklagen — to grieve over
• German: beweinen — to grieve over
• Hungarian: gyászol — to grieve over
• Hungarian: sirat — to grieve over
• Hungarian: kesereg — to grieve over
• Hungarian: fájlal — to grieve over
• German: jaulen — to perform with great liveliness and force (slang)
• Swedish: waila — to perform with great liveliness and force (slang)