lachrymose
pronunciation
How to pronounce lachrymose in British English:
UK [ˈlækrɪməʊs]
How to pronounce lachrymose in American English:
US [ˈlækrɪmoʊs]
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- Adjective:
- showing sorrow
Word Origin
- lachrymose
- lachrymose: see tear
- lachrymose (adj.)
- 1660s, "tear-like," from Latin lacrimosus "tearful, sorrowful, weeping," also "causing tears, lamentable," from lacrima "tear," a dialect-altered borrowing of Greek dakryma "tear," from dakryein "to shed tears," from dakry "tear," from PIE *dakru- (see tear (n.1)). Meaning "given to tears, tearful" is first attested 1727; meaning "of a mournful character" is from 1822. The -d- to -l- alteration in Latin is the so-called "Sabine -L-"; compare Latin olere "smell," from root of odor, and Ulixes, the Latin form of Greek Odysseus. The Medieval Latin practice of writing -ch- for -c- before Latin -r- also altered anchor, pulchritude, sepulchre. The -y- is pedantic, from belief in a Greek origin. Middle English had lacrymable "tearful" (mid-15c.).
Example
- 1. Julia moreno plays the lachrymose heroine of the film .
- 2. Maybe if you moved away from lake lachrymose you might feel better .
- 3. He is better known for his lachrymose ballads than hard rock numbers .
- 4. She was irritable and lachrymose .
- 5. People believe that lachrymose is characteristic of the female .