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