The act of making low, prolonged sounds expressing pain, distress, or pleasure. Also refers to complaining persistently about something.
From Old English 'mǣnan' meaning to complain or lament, related to Old High German 'meinen' (to have in mind). The word has maintained its core meaning of vocal expression of distress for over a millennium. The complaining sense developed from the association of vocal distress with dissatisfaction.
Linguistically, 'moaning' is fascinating because it represents one of the most universal human vocalizations - nearly every culture has similar-sounding words for this expression of distress or complaint. The sound itself seems to be hardwired into human communication, making words like 'moan' remarkably consistent across different languages and time periods.
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