To express great sorrow or regret about something; to cry out or lament loudly about a loss or misfortune.
From 'be-' plus 'wail.' The prefix 'be-' intensifies or emphasizes the action, so 'bewail' means to wail intensely. 'Wail' comes from Old Norse 'veilá,' meaning to cry or lament.
Shakespeare used 'bewail' constantly—the prefix 'be-' was still productive in his day for dramatic emphasis. 'Bewail thy sorrows!' sounds much more theatrical than just 'wail,' and that was the whole point in Renaissance drama.
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