jeremiad (noun) - a long, mournful speech, complaint, or work that bitterly laments a problem or situation; a rant or screed [jer-uh-mahy-uhd]
BREAKDOWN: The word jeremiad may remind English speakers more of a name than a known root, which makes sense based on its origins. While its most recent derivation is the French jérémiade, also meaning a rant or diatribe, both words come from the Latin Jeremias and, before that, the Hebrew Yirmeyah. The Jeremiah in question is none other than the biblical prophet credited with writing the Book of Lamentations, in which the destruction of Jerusalem and the Babylonian exile is mourned.
See also: lament
“If you slip or have a minor fall, don’t allow yourself an instant’s pause… In your mind take careful note of the circumstances of your fall, but don’t let your body linger over what happened. The body constantly tries to draw attention to itself by its shiverings, its breathlessness, its palpitations, its shudders and sweats and cramps; but it reacts quickly to any scorn and indifference in its master. Once it senses that he is not taken in by its jeremiads, once it understands that it will inspire no pity for it that way, then it comes into line and obediently accomplishes its task.” —René Daumal
[Our Wednesday Wildcards are fascinating and important words that are not necessarily derived from classical roots.]