/ɡɹəʊn/, /ɡɹoʊn/
OriginFrom 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.
- A low, mournful sound uttered in pain or grief.
- A low, guttural sound uttered in frustration, disapproval, or ecstasy.
- A low creaking sound from applied pressure or weight.
- 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 ”
- figurativelyTo 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.”
- obsoleteTo strive after earnestly, as if with groans.
“Nothing but holy, pure, and clear, / Or that which groaneth to be so.”
Formsgroans(plural) · groane(alternative) · grane(alternative, Scotland) · grain(alternative, Scotland) · graen(alternative, Scotland) · groans(present, singular, third-person) · groaning(participle, present) · groaned(participle, past) · groaned(past)