Added 9 October 2026
groan
/ˈɡɹəʊ̯n/ noun
In Latin: gemitus Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about groan at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- An utterance expressing pain or disapproval.
verb
-
Indicate pain, discomfort, or displeasure.
The students groaned when the professor got out the exam booklets
Origin
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.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)