# beat one's breast

> English word · Verb

## Definitions
1. To ostentatiously display remorse, sorrow, or upset.

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

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/beat-one-s-breast