mourn

Mourn is a verb meaning to feel or express deep sorrow for the death or loss of a person or thing, and to lament or grieve. It is typically used with for or over, as in “to mourn the death of a relative” or “to mourn the loss of a homeland.” The word can signify both the internal experience of grief and outward acts of sadness or remembrance. A person may mourn privately, or a community may publicly mourn a tragedy.

Etymology: The term derives from Old English murnian, from Proto-Germanic roots, and is cognate with related Germanic-language terms that express lament.

Cultural and social aspects: Many cultures assign rituals, periods of mourning, dress codes, and memorial practices. In Western traditions, a formal mourning period may involve wearing black and refraining from festive occasions, though practices vary widely. Mourning can influence language, rituals, and public life, and it may evolve from personal grief into collective remembrance. Grief itself is a natural response that can change over time.

Related forms: mourning (noun), mournful (adjective), mourningly; many contexts distinguish the act of mourning from the state of being in mourning.