The act of expressing deep sadness and grief, especially after someone has died, or the period of time during which people show respect for the dead.
From Old English 'murnan,' meaning 'to care for' or 'to be troubled.' It evolved to specifically mean expressing grief and sorrow, with roots in Proto-Germanic languages expressing worry and distress.
Different cultures have fascinating mourning practices—from wearing black in Western countries to wearing white in some Asian cultures—but the word itself comes from the same ancient root meaning 'to care deeply' that exists across many European languages.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.