Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “lamentation” come from?

Lamentation comes from Latin lamentatio, formed from Latin -tio (nominalization suffix) and Proto-Indo-European leh₂- (to let go, release).

lamentation (English): The act of lamenting; A sorrowful cry; a lament;...

Definitions

  1. The act of lamenting; A sorrowful cry; a lament;...

Ancestry of “lamentation”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinlamentatiolamentation, wailing, weeping, moaning
2LatinlamentorI lament; I bewail
3Latinlamentumwailing, moaning, weeping; lamentation, lament
4Proto-Italiclāmentom—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanleh₂-to bark, howl; to be concealed
Every word from Proto-Indo-European leh₂- →