regret: [14] The origins of regret are not altogether clear, but it may mean etymologically ‘weep over again’. It was borrowed from Old French regreter, which could have been based on a prehistoric Germanic verb *grētan ‘weep’ (source of archaic English greet ‘weep’).
regret (v.)
"to look back with distress or sorrowful longing; to grieve for on remembering," late 14c., from Old French regreter "long after, bewail, lament someone's death; ask the help of" (Modern French regretter), from re-, intensive prefix (see re-), + -greter, possibly from Frankish or some other Germanic source (compare Old English grætan "to weep;" Old Norse grata "to weep, groan"), from Proto-Germanic *gretan "weep." "Not found in other Romance languages, and variously explained" [Century Dictionary].
Related: Regretted; regretting. Replaced Old English ofþyncan, from of- "off, away," here denoting opposition, + þyncan "seem, seem fit" (as in methinks).
regret (n.)
"pain or distress in the mind at something done or left undone," 1530s, from the verb, or from Middle French regret, back-formation from regreter (see regret (v.)).
实用例句
1. Failure is never quite so frightening as regret do.
比失败更令人恐惧的是懊悔。
来自金山词霸 每日一句
2. From Cairo came expressions of regret at the attack.
开罗对此次攻击表示遗憾。
来自柯林斯例句
3. Her lack of co-operation is nothing new, I regret to say.
很遗憾，我不得不说她缺少合作精神不是什么新鲜事。
来自柯林斯例句
4. We regret to inform you that you are being furloughed indefinitely.
我们遗憾地通知您，您将要无限期地在家待岗。
来自柯林斯例句
5. They will bitterly regret what they have done for ever more.
