Sorrow

How to spell sorrow

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce sorrow

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does sorrow mean?

1. nounA feeling of deep sadness, especially one caused by loss or disappointment.

Sorrow in a sentence

• The letter was written with evident sorrow about the closure of the school.

• Her letter expressed genuine sorrow over the failed project.

Where does sorrow come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

Sorrow is a deeply native English word, descending from the Old English sorg or sorh, which meant grief, anxiety, or care. That noun grew from a common Germanic root, and you can still see its cousins in the German Sorge (care, worry) and the Dutch zorg (care). It is worth noting that the modern spelling is something of an accident: sorrow and the unrelated word sorry come from two completely different Old English roots, yet over the centuries their forms drifted close together, which is why English speakers often assume they are kin. The double 'r' and the '-ow' ending settled into place in Middle English, replacing earlier spellings like sorwe. Throughout its history the sense has stayed remarkably stable, always pointing to heavy sadness brought on by loss, disappointment, or regret.

How the word is built

• sorrow (from Old English sorg/sorh: grief, anxiety)
• native English noun form, no affixes