(a) To shed tears, weep, sob aloud, cry; also fig.; of an infant: cry instinctively, wail, squall; of Christ: weep as a sign of his humanity; ~ with eien; al wepinge, weeping copiously; bresten oute to ~, break into tears, burst out crying; (b) in stock phrases and collocations: ~ (ful) bitterli, ~ faste (sore, ful sore, etc.), ~ wonder sore (swithe), weep (very) bitterly, cry hard; ~ (ful) tenderli, weep (very) pitifully; ~ and crien (sighen, weilen, etc.), ~ and maken dol (mon, sorwe, etc.), crien (sighen, weilen, etc.) and ~; (c) to weep as a spiritual exercise or penitential discipline; also, be subject to fits of devotional weeping, sob uncontrollably or hysterically in a state of religious ecstasy; ~ faste (sore); (d) to feign sorrow by shedding tears or emitting cries, make a show of weeping; ~ and sighen (compleinen); (e) of an animal: to shed tears as though expressing emotion; crien and ~; (f) ~ for (in, of), to be moved to tears by (strong emotion), weep for (joy, shame, etc.), weep in (distress); also, of the heart: weep for (dread);—used fig.; ~ pitousli for, ~ ful sore of; (g) ~ for (of, with), to weep on account of (joy, sorrow, a deed, an event, circumstances, etc.), weep because of; ~ with swetenesse, weep at spiritual sweetness; ~ faste for, sighen and ~ for, ~ swithe sore with, etc.; ~ for-than (for-thi, ther-fore, wher-with, etc.); (h) ~ for (o, on, over, up, upon), to weep over (one who has died or is about to die, a doomed city, etc.); weep for (oneself); (i) with clause or inf. phrase: ~ for (for-that), to weep because (sth. is the case); ~ that, weep that (sth. is the case); ~ to sen, weep to see (sth.); ~ wonderli faste; ~ and wonen (maken gret wo, singen wei-la-wei); (j) in proverbs, prov. expressions, and conventional comparisons.

Of the eye: (a) to release tears as a physiological stimulus and response to emotion; ppl. wepinge as adj.: tearful; mani wepinge eie, many weeping persons [1st quot.]; with wepinge eie, with eien wepinge, with tearful eye(s, tearfully; (b) pathol. to water incessantly and involuntarily, tear, run; ppl. wepinge, runny, oozing.

(a) To implore with tears, make tearful entreaty; also with inf. phrase or that clause expressing the petition; ppl. wepinge as adj.: wepinge preiere (voice), a tearful prayer (petition); (b) with a wepinge voice, with a tearful voice, tearfully; (c) to wail, howl, ululate.

(a) To shed (a tear, tears, a flood of tears, etc.); also in fig. context; ~ wope, engage in weeping; (b) ~ fille, to weep (one’s) fill, weep until one can weep no more; also in fig. context; ~ ful his wound, cry enough tears to fill his wound; (c) ~ oute eien, to cry (one’s) eyes out, become blind from weeping; (d) ben weped, to be reduced to tears, be sorrowful; ppl. weped, tearful.

(a) To lament, mourn, grieve [sometimes difficult to distinguish from sense 1a.(a)]; also in fig. context [quot. c1440]; ppl. wepinge, lamenting; sorrowful, mournful; in wepinge wo, in profound misery; in this wepinge world, in this sorrowful world, in this wretched life; (b) to have cause to weep, experience suffering, undergo the trials of mortal existence; also, in generalizing phrases: ~ or singen, have ill fortune or good; nou ~ nou laughen, nou laughen nou ~, alternate between misery and happiness.

(a) To bewail the death of (sb.), mourn; also, honor (sb.) with a formal rite or period of mourning; (b) to bewail (one’s unhappy state), grieve over with a formal period of mourning; (c) to feel or show contrition for (one’s misdeeds), bewail (one’s guilt); (d) to deplore (sth.), fault.

Of a tear: to well up (out of someone’s eye), flow, pour; ppl. wepinge as adj.: freely flowing, abundant.

(a) Of an insensate object: to exude drops of water or other liquid in such a manner as to give the appearance of weeping; of soil: ?have sufficient moisture; ?drain; (b) to exude (moisture); ~ oute.

The word ‘wepen’.