beat one's breast en · VERB
Etymology
For the meaning development compare Proto-Slavic *plakati ultimately from *pleh₂k-, *pleh₂g- (“to beat”) (whence also Latin plangō (whence plangent, plain)).
Meanings
- (figuratively) To ostentatiously display remorse, sorrow, or upset.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| beat one's breast | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | colloquial | lexicographic |
| beat one's breast | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| beats one's breast | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| beaten one's breast | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| beating one's breast | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic |
Relateds
weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth · wear sackcloth and ashes · bare one's breast · self-flagellation
Synonyms
Translations (4)
fr battre sa coulpe (Translations) · fi lyödä rintaansa (Translations) · pl bić się w piersi (Translations) · ca colpir-se el pit (Translations)