- Wail - Etymology, Origin Meaning - Etymonline
Originating c 1300 from Old Norse væla meaning "to lament," wail means to express sorrow through mournful cries or to bemoan someone or something
- whale on or wail on [wale on] | WordReference Forums
To raise a wale or wales on by striking The raised mark left on the skin after the stroke of a rod or whip "Whale on" is listed as a variant of the original "wale on" Etymology of wale is: late Old English walu ‘stripe, weal ’
- How to Use Whale vs. Wail vs. Wale | Merriam-Webster
The verb wail is also older than the verb whale It goes back to the early 14th century and is of Scandinavian origin, akin to Old Norse vei, meaning "woe"—hence, we have its meanings denoting cries of sadness
- wail - Wiktionary, the free dictionary
c 1300, Middle English weilen, waylen (“to sob, cry, wail”), [1] from Old Norse væla (“to wail”), [2] from væ, vei (“woe”), [3] from Proto-Germanic *wai (whence also Old English wā (“woe”) (English woe)), from Proto-Indo-European *wáy
- Language Log » Whaling Wailing Waling on
"To beat, flog, thrash" The etymology is given as Of obscure origin Commonly regarded as a spelling of wale v 1, but there are difficulties of form, chronology, and meaning Perhaps originally = to thrash with a whalebone whip The citations are 1790 F Grose Provinc Gloss (ed 2) , Whale, to beat with a horsewhip or pliant stick
- wail, v. meanings, etymology and more | Oxford English Dictionary
Where does the verb wail come from? The earliest known use of the verb wail is in the Middle English period (1150—1500) OED's earliest evidence for wail is from around 1330, in Arthour and Merlin wail is probably a borrowing from early Scandinavian
- Wail - Definition, Meaning, Synonyms Etymology - Better Words
The etymology of 'wail' underscores its historical association with lamentation and the vocal expression of profound emotional distress, making it a powerful word to convey the depth of one's sorrow or suffering
- wail etymology online, origin and meaning
The word "wail" is derived from the Middle English word "waylen," which is itself derived from the Old English word "wānian " The word "wānian" means "to lament" or "to cry out," and is related to the Proto-Germanic word "*wōjaną," which has the same meaning
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