Both Uses
lament
in
Tartuffe
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- Don't excuse yourself through circumlocution: You've already made your own resolution, And you've seized upon a frivolous excuse To justify this lamentable ruse.†
Chpt 2.4 *lamentable = regrettablestandard suffix: The suffix "-able" means able to be. This is the same pattern you see in words like breakable, understandable, and comfortable.
- Hope instead that his heart may one day Make a happy return to the virtuous way, That he'll reform his life and lament his past, And cause our great Prince to temper justice at last.†
Chpt 5.6lament = express grief or regret
Definitions:
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(1)
(lament) to express grief or regret
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(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) Although lament typically refers to a feeling or simple vocal expression, it can refer to a vocal expression as complex as a sad song or poem. It can even refer to sad, but non-vocal music -- as when Tennessee Williams references background music in A Streetcar Named Desire.