Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 11th Edition
WAIL
I. verb see: woe
Date: 14th century
intransitive verb to express sorrow audibly ; lament , to make a sound suggestive of a mournful cry, to express dissatisfaction plaintively ; complain , transitive verb archaic bewail , to say or express plaintively , wailer noun
II. noun
Date: 15th century
the act or practice of wailing ; loud lamentation,
2. a usually prolonged cry or sound expressing grief or pain, a sound suggestive of wailing , a querulous expression of grievance ; complaint