Where does “alas” come from?
Alas comes from Old French a las, derived from Old French a (to) and Latin ad (toward), which traces back through Latin habere (to have) to Proto-Indo-European gʰeh₁bʰ-.
alas (English): Used to express sorrow, regret, compassion or...
Definitions
- Used to express sorrow, regret, compassion or...
Ancestry of “alas”, step by step
alas traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English alas
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | alas | alas |
| 2 | Old French | a las | alas |
| 3 | Old French | las | alas |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | laceum | — |
| 5 | Latin | laqueus | noose; snare, gin, trap |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | lakw- | to ensnare |
via Yakut алаас
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yakut | алаас | alas, glade |