WordNet Dictionary- [n] the passionate and demonstrative activity of expressing grief
- [n] a cry of sorrow and grief; "their pitiful laments could be heard throughout the ward"
Webster's 1913 Dictionary\Lam`en*ta"tion\, n. [F. lamentation, L.
lamentatio.]
1. The act of bewailing; audible expression of sorrow;
wailing; moaning.
In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation and
weeping. --Matt. ii.
18.
2. pl. (Script.) A book of the Old Testament attributed to
the prophet Jeremiah, and taking its name from the nature
of its contents.
Easton Bible Dictionary(Heb. qinah), an elegy or dirge. The first example of this form of poetry is the lament of David over Saul and Jonathan (2 Sam. 1:17-27). It was a frequent accompaniment of mourning (Amos 8:10). In 2 Sam. 3:33, 34 is recorded David's lament over Abner. Prophecy sometimes took the form of a lament when it predicted calamity (Ezek. 27:2, 32; 28:12; 32:2, 16).
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