beat one's breast

English

Etymology

For the meaning development compare Proto-Slavic *plakati ultimately from *pleh₂k-, *pleh₂g- (“to beat”) (whence also Latin plangō (whence plangent, plain)).

Verb

beat one's breast (third-person singular simple present beats one's breast, present participle beating one's breast, simple past beat one's breast, past participle beaten one's breast or (colloquial) beat one's breast)

1. (figuratively) To ostentatiously display remorse, sorrow, or upset.

   Synonym: beat one's chest

Related terms

• bare one's breast

Translations

Translations

• Catalan: colpir-se el pit
• Finnish: lyödä rintaansa (biblical)
• French: battre sa coulpe (fr)
• Polish: bić się w piersi (pl) impf

See also

• self-flagellation
• wear sackcloth and ashes
• weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth

 

Further reading

• “beat your breast chest”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.
• “beat one s breast”, in Collins English Dictionary.
• “to beat one s breast”, in Collins English Dictionary.
• “beat your breast” (US) / “beat your breast” (UK) in Macmillan English Dictionary.
• “beat one’s breast”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.