noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   One who wails or laments.
2. 2
   A boy employed to pick out stones, pyrites, etc. remaining in the coal after it is screened. historical
3. 3
   a mourner who utters long loud high-pitched cries wordnet
4. 4
   A professional hired mourner.

Synonyms

All synonyms

moirologistmoirologistsiren

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English wayler, weilere; equivalent to wail + -er.

Etymology 2

From wail + -er; see wail (“choose, select”).

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.