lamentation

noun

1. the act of lamenting or expressing grief.
2. a lament.
3. Lamentations, (used with a singular verb) a book of the Bible, traditionally ascribed to Jeremiah. Abbreviation: Lam.

noun

1. a lament; expression of sorrow
2. the act of lamenting

n.late 14c., from Old French lamentacion and directly from Latin lamentationem (nominative lamentatio) “wailing, moaning, weeping,” noun of action from past participle stem of lamentari “to wail, moan, weep, lament,” from lamentum “a wailing,” from PIE root *la- “to shout, cry,” probably ultimately imitative. Replaced Old English cwiþan.