wailing

/ˈwāl/

Middle English weilen, waylen, perhaps modification (influenced by Middle English weilawei wellaway) of Old Norse væla, vāla to wail; akin to Old Norse vei woe

verb

  1. to express sorrow audibly : lament

  2. to make a sound suggestive of a mournful cry

  3. to express dissatisfaction plaintively : complain

noun

  1. a surviving section of the wall which in ancient times formed a part of the enclosure of Herod's temple near the Holy of Holies and at which Jews traditionally gather for prayer and religious lament

  2. a source of comfort and consolation in misfortune

geographical name

  1. wall in Jerusalem, Israel, that is the only remaining remnant of the Second Temple of Jerusalem (the rest was destroyed by the Romans in 70 a.d.) and is a sacred place of prayer for Jewish people