A formal song of mourning or lamentation, typically sung at funerals or in times of disaster. Homer and classical poets use the term for ritual dirges accompanying death. Pindar composed θρῆνοι as a distinct genre. The word can also mean complaint or sad strain more broadly—any sorrowful song or expression of grief. In biblical contexts it describes the mourning songs for the dead and prophetic lamentations over cities or nations. Jeremiah's Lamentations exemplify the genre. The noun derives from a verb meaning to wail or cry out, capturing the vocal intensity of ancient grief rituals.