Where does “wēhe” come from?

wēhe (German) comes from German weh, 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!.

Ancestry of “wēhe”, step by step

wēhe traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German weh

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanwehsore, painful; alas! woe!
2Middle High German
3Old High Germanwoe
4Proto-West Germanicwaiwoe!, alas!
5Proto-Germanicwaiwoe! alas!
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwaioh!; woe!

via German wehen

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanwehento blow
2Middle High Germanwæjen

Words derived from “wēhe

Every word from Proto-Indo-European waiEvery word from Proto-Germanic waiEvery word from Proto-West Germanic wai
wēhe — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer