Word Direct Answers

What does "mourning" mean?

Mourning: Garb, drapery, or emblems indicative of grief, esp. clothing or a badge of somber black. The houses to their tops with black were spread, And ev'n the pavements were with mourning hid. Dryden. Deep mourning. See under Deep.

Additional senses

  1. 2.Grieving; sorrowing; lamenting.
  2. 3.Employed to express sorrow or grief; worn or used as appropriate to the condition of one bereaved or sorrowing; as, mourning garments; a mourning ring; a mourning pin, and the like. Mourning bride (Bot.), a garden flower (Scabiosa atropurpurea) with dark purple or crimson flowers in flattened heads. -- Mourning dove (Zoöl.), a wild dove (Zenaidura macroura) found throughout the United States; -- so named from its plaintive note. Called also Carolina dove. See Illust. under Dove. -- Mourning warbler (Zoöl.), an American ground warbler (Geothlypis Philadelphia). The male has the head, neck, and chest, deep ash-gray, mixed with black on the throat and chest; other lower parts are pure yellow.

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