Etymology c. 1300, Middle English weilen, waylen (“to sob, cry, wail”), from Old Norse væla (“to wail”), from væ, vei (“woe”), from Proto-Germanic *wai (whence also Old English wā (“woe”) (English woe)), from Proto-Indo-European *wáy. The verb is first attested in the intransitive sense; the transitive sense developed in mid-14ᵗʰ c.. The noun came from the verb.
1
To cry out, as in sorrow or anguish.
2
To weep, lament persistently or bitterly.
3
To make a noise like mourning or crying.
The wind wailed and the rain streamed down.
4
To lament; to bewail; to grieve over.
to wail one's death
My lord, wise men ne'er sit and wail their woes1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act 3, scene 2]:
Another outstanding surfer from Hawaii - Fred Hemmings. Fred only stands up on alternate Wednesdays, but when he does, he really wails.1966, Bruce Brown, director, The Endless Summer:
At Boston's Roseland, as "the Count's band was wailing," he grabbed Mamie, an avid dancer. The "band was screaming when she kicked off her shoes and got barefooted1999, Lewis A. Erenberg, Swingin' the Dream: Big Band Jazz and the Rebirth of American Culture, page 111:
2 more examples
The band was really wailing as we quickly made our dance moves in a most provocative manner.2012, Robert Lewis Barrett, A Portrait of the First Born As a Child, page 377:
We had a nondenominational wedding, with a bunch of great Sufi musicians really wailing, and my wildly enthusiastic mother in attendance.2013, Joan Silber, Fools, →ISBN:
Etymology c. 1300, Middle English weilen, waylen (“to sob, cry, wail”), from Old Norse væla (“to wail”), from væ, vei (“woe”), from Proto-Germanic *wai (whence also Old English wā (“woe”) (English woe)), from Proto-Indo-European *wáy. The verb is first attested in the intransitive sense; the transitive sense developed in mid-14ᵗʰ c.. The noun came from the verb.
1
A prolonged cry, usually high-pitched, especially as of grief or anguish.
She let out a loud, doleful wail.
2
Any similar sound as of lamentation; a howl.
The wail of snow-dark winter winds.
A bird's wail in the night.
3
A sound made by emergency vehicle sirens, contrasted with "yelp" which is higher-pitched and faster.