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 gr?tan "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 oftyncan, from of- "off, away," here denoting opposition, + tyncan "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.)).
例文
1. Failure is never quite so frightening as regret do.
失敗よりも恐ろしいのは後悔だ。
毎日一言
2.From Cairo came expressions of regret at the attack.
カイロはこの攻撃に遺憾を表明した。
3.Her lack of co-operation is nothing new，I regret to say.
残念ながら、彼女が協力精神を欠いているのは珍しいことではないと言わざるを得ない。
4.We regret to inform you that you are being furloughed indefinitely.
私たちは残念ながら、無期限に自宅に待機することをお知らせします。
5.They will bitterly regret what they have done for ever more.