Where does “oy vey” come from?
oy vey (English) comes from Yiddish אוי וויי, from Middle High German ōwē, from Middle High German wē, from Old High German wē, from Proto-West Germanic wai, from Proto-Germanic wai, from Proto-Indo-European wai — oh!; woe!.
oy vey (English): oh dear
Ancestry of “oy vey”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Yiddish | אוי וויי | oh, ah, ugh, oy; oh no, woe is me; ouch |
| 2 | Middle High German | ōwē | — |
| 3 | Middle High German | wē | — |
| 4 | Old High German | wē | woe |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | wai | woe!, alas! |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | wai | woe! alas! |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wai | oh!; woe! |