mourner
UK: ˈmɔːnə | US: ˈmɔːrnər
n. a person who attends a funeral or expresses grief, especially for someone who has died
n. (archaic) a person who publicly laments or grieves
The word "mourner" combines the verb "mourn," derived from Old English murnan (to grieve, be anxious), with the agentive suffix "-er," indicating a person who performs the action. The root "mourn" traces back to Proto-Germanic murnaną, reflecting a deep-seated concept of sorrow. Over time, "-er" standardized in English to denote roles (e.g., "teacher," "runner"), solidifying "mourner" as "one who grieves."
The mourner placed a single rose on the coffin.
As a professional mourner, she was hired to weep at funerals.
The church was filled with mourners paying their respects.
He stood silently among the mourners, his head bowed.
In some cultures, mourners wear white to symbolize purity and peace.