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Wail vs Bang - What's the difference?

wail | bang | Related terms |

Wail is a related term of bang.


As a noun wail

is a prolonged cry, usually high-pitched, especially as of grief or anguish.

As a verb wail

is to cry out, as in sorrow or anguish or wail can be (obsolete) to choose; to select.

wail

English

Etymology 1

Probably from (etyl) Etymology in Webster's Dictionary

Noun

(en noun)
  • A prolonged cry, usually high-pitched, especially as of grief or anguish.
  • She let out a loud, doleful wail .
  • Any similar sound as of lamentation; a howl.
  • The wail of snow-dark winter winds.
    A bird's wail in the night.
  • A sound made by emergency vehicle sirens, contrasted with "yelp" which is higher-pitched and faster.
  • Verb

    (en verb)
  • To cry out, as in sorrow or anguish.
  • To weep, lament persistently or bitterly.
  • To make a noise like mourning or crying.
  • The wind wailed and the rain streamed down.
  • To lament; to bewail; to grieve over.
  • to wail one's death
    (Shakespeare)
  • (slang, music) To perform with great liveliness and force.
  • *
  • *
  • *
  • Derived terms
    * wailer * wailingly
    References

    Etymology 2

    Compare Icelandic word for "choice".

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (obsolete) To choose; to select.
  • * Henryson
  • Wailed wine and meats
    (Webster 1913) English terms with homophones

    bang

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) .

    Alternative forms

    * (obsolete)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A sudden percussive noise.
  • When he struck it with a hammer, there was a loud bang .
  • A strike upon an object causing such a noise.
  • An explosion.
  • (US, especially plural) A fringe of hair cut across the forehead.
  • Tiffany has long hair and bangs .
  • * W. D. Howells
  • his hair cut in front like a young lady's bang
  • *
  • (US) The symbol , known as an exclamation point.
  • An e-mail address with an ! is called a bang path.
  • (mathematics) A factorial, in mathematics, because the factorial of n is often written as n!
  • (figuratively) An act of sexual intercourse.
  • An offbeat figure typical of reggae songs and played on guitar and piano.
  • (slang, mining) An explosive product.
  • Load the bang into the hole.
  • (slang, US, Boston area) An abrupt left turn.
  • Synonyms
    * strike, blow * explosion * (hair cut) fringe, bangs * exclamation point, exclamation mark
    Antonyms
    * (abrupt left turn) hang

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (label) To make sudden loud noises, and often repeatedly, especially by exploding or hitting something.
  • (label) To hit hard.
  • * (William Shakespeare) (1564-1616)
  • The desperate tempest hath so banged the Turks.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1922, author=(Michael Arlen), title= “Piracy”: A Romantic Chronicle of These Days, chapter=3/19/2
  • , passage=Ivor had acquired more than a mile of fishing rights with the house?; he was not at all a good fisherman, but one must do something?; one generally, however, banged a ball with a squash-racket against a wall.}}
  • To engage in sexual intercourse.
  • *
  • * 1972 , (Mario Puzo) and (Francis Ford Coppola), (The Godfather) (film):
  • Moe Greene: He was banging cocktail waitresses two at a time!
  • (with "in") To hammer or to hit anything hard.
  • (label) To cut squarely across, as the tail of a horse, or a person's forelock; to cut (the hair).
  • * The Century Magazine
  • His hair banged even with his eyebrows.
    Synonyms
    * nail

    Adverb

    (en adverb)
  • , directly.
  • The passenger door was bang against the garage wall.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2011
  • , date=September 18 , author=Ben Dirs , title=Rugby World Cup 2011: England 41-10 Georgia , work=BBC Sport citation , page= , passage=After yet another missed penalty by Kvirikashvili from bang in front of the posts, England scored again, centre Tuilagi flying into the line and touching down under the bar.}}
  • Precisely.
  • ''He arrived bang on time.
  • With a sudden impact.
  • Distracted, he ran bang into the opening door.

    Interjection

    (en interjection)
  • a verbal emulation of a sudden percussive sound
  • He pointed his finger at her like a gun and said, "Bang !"

    Derived terms

    * (verb) banger, gangbang * (noun) bang for the buck, big bang * (adverb) bang on, bang out of order, bang to rights, bang up / bang-up

    Etymology 2

    Shortened from .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (in the plural) Brucellosis, a bacterial disease
  • Anagrams

    * English onomatopoeias ----