Dolent

/ˈdoʊlənt/ adjective

Definition

Archaic or poetic term meaning mournful, sorrowful, or expressing sorrow; grieving or lamenting.

Etymology

From Latin dolent-, present participle of dolere (to grieve or suffer). This Latinate form entered Middle English through religious and literary texts but largely disappeared from common usage by the modern period.

Kelly Says

Latin 'dolere' is the ancestor of words like 'dolor' (pain in medical terms), 'dolorous' (mournful), and the Spanish/French 'dolor'—all branches from the same root word for suffering that Rome left across Europe.

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