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Keening

2 stages from Irish to English.

Today it means a loud wailing lament for the dead

Where does the word "keening" come from? It comes from Irish caoineadh, adopted directly into English (1810s).

1
Stage 1 of 2
caoineadh
Irish · 1700s
"lament for the dead"
the formal lament sung over the dead; Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill's Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire (1773), for her murdered husband, is its most famous example
2
Stage 2 of 2
keening
English · 1810s
"wailing lament"
anglicised as 'keen'; paid keening women were a fixture of Irish wakes until the Catholic clergy's disapproval helped the custom fade during the 1800s
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Keening’s story begins in Irish: caoineadh meant “lament for the dead.” The formal lament sung over the dead; Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill's Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire (1773), for her murdered husband, is its most famous example. It reached English by 1810s as keening. Anglicised as 'keen'; paid keening women were a fixture of Irish wakes until the Catholic clergy's disapproval helped the custom fade during the 1800s. Today, keening means a loud wailing lament for the dead.