wail

Wail is a word in English that functions as both a verb and a noun. As a verb, it means to utter a long, high-pitched cry of grief, pain, or distress, often with loud lamentation or moaning. As a noun, a wail is that cry or sound—a prolonged, mournful cry or alarm signal.

Wails occur in human behavior during mourning, fear, or alarm, and the term is also used for nonhuman sounds such as the wail of sirens, the wind, or animals. In folklore and literature, a wail may describe a supernatural or ritual lament, such as the wail of a banshee; in everyday speech, a child’s wail or someone’s wail of despair are common usages.

Wail also has a musical sense. In music, to wail is to produce a loud, emotive, and sustained vocal or instrumental line; a singer or instrumentalist may 'wail' on a guitar, saxophone, or voice. The term is common in blues, jazz, and rock, where expressive, high-pitched lines or bends are described as wailing.

Origin: the word derives from Old English and related Germanic forms, with its sense of a loud lament present in English for centuries.

See also: lament, cry, howl, scream.