wail

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)

wail
    n 1: a cry of sorrow and grief; "their pitiful laments could be
         heard throughout the ward" [syn: {lament}, {lamentation},
         {plaint}, {wail}]
    v 1: emit long loud cries; "wail in self-pity"; "howl with
         sorrow" [syn: {howl}, {ululate}, {wail}, {roar}, {yawl},
         {yaup}]
    2: cry weakly or softly; "she wailed with pain" [syn: {wail},
       {whimper}, {mewl}, {pule}]

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Wail \Wail\, v. t. [Cf. Icel. val choice, velja to choose, akin
   to Goth. waljan, G. w[aum]hlen.]
   To choose; to select. [Obs.] "Wailed wine and meats."
   --Henryson.
   [1913 Webster]

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Wail \Wail\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Wailed}; p. pr. & vb. n.
   {Wailing}.] [OE. wailen, weilen, probably fr. Icel. v[ae]la;
   cf. Icel. v[ae], vei, woe, and E. wayment, also OE. wai, wei,
   woe. Cf. {Woe}.]
   To lament; to bewail; to grieve over; as, to wail one's
   death. --Shak.
   [1913 Webster]

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Wail \Wail\, v. i.
   To express sorrow audibly; to make mournful outcry; to weep.
   [1913 Webster]

         Therefore I will wail and howl. --Micah i. 8.
   [1913 Webster]

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Wail \Wail\, n.
   Loud weeping; violent lamentation; wailing. "The wail of the
   forest." --Longfellow.
   [1913 Webster]

from Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

110 Moby Thesaurus words for "wail":
      bark, bawl, bay, bell, bellow, blare, blat, blate, bleat, blubber,
      boohoo, boom, bray, breathe, buzz, cackle, call, caterwaul, chant,
      chirp, coo, creak, crow, cry, cry out, dolorous tirade, drawl,
      exclaim, flute, fuss, gasp, give tongue, give voice, groan, growl,
      grunt, hiss, howl, jeremiad, keen, kick, lament, lilt, low,
      make an outcry, meow, mew, mewl, miaow, moan, moo, mumble, murmur,
      mutter, neigh, nicker, outcry, pant, pipe, plaint, planctus, pule,
      quest, repine, roar, rumble, screak, scream, screech, shriek,
      shrill, sibilate, sigh, sing, skirl, skreigh, snap, snarl, snort,
      sob, sough, squall, squawk, squeak, squeal, thunder, tirade, troat,
      trumpet, twang, ululate, ululation, wail of woe, warble, weep,
      whicker, whimper, whine, whinny, whisper, whistle, wrawl, yammer,
      yap, yawl, yawp, yell, yelp, yip, yowl