groan
nounEtymology
From Middle English gronen, granen, from Old English grānian (“to groan; lament; murmur”), from Proto-West Germanic *grainōn, from Proto-Germanic *grainōną (“to howl; weep”), from Proto-Germanic *grīnaną (“to whine; howl; whimper”). Cognate with Scots grain (“to cry, scream”), Dutch grijnen, grienen (“to cry; sob; blubber”), German Low German grienen (“to whimper; mewl”), German greinen (“to whine; whimper”), Swedish grina (“to howl; weep; laugh”). The noun is from Middle English gron, grone, from the verb.
Definitions
A low, mournful sound uttered in pain or grief.
- let out a groan
A low, guttural sound uttered in frustration, disapproval, or ecstasy.
A low creaking sound from applied pressure or weight.
›+ 3 more definitionsshow fewer
To make a groan.
- We groaned at his awful jokes.
- The wooden table groaned under the weight of the banquet.
- My Lord of Hereford here whom you call King, / Is a foule traitour to proud Herefords King, / And if you crowne him let me propheſie, / The bloud of Engliſh ſhall manure the ground, / And future ages groane for this foule act, [...]
To seemingly creak under the strain of being heavily laden.
- That night the table in the outer dining room was just groaning with good things.
- Bookshelves groan under the bloated weight of tomes detailing Great Straight Marriages.
- Whenever Ms. Rompoti’s curvy protagonist, an event planner named Sienna, was in a scene, the A.I. constantly referenced her weight, for example, noting that a chair groaned when she sat down.
To strive after earnestly, as if with groans.
- Nothing but holy, pure, and clear, / Or that which groaneth to be so.
The neighborhood
Derived
agroan, begroan, groaner, groanful, groanless, groansome, groan tube, groanworthy, groany
Vish — recursive loop
No curated loop yet for groan. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.
sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA