Where does “wéi” come from?

wéi (Luxembourgish) comes 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!.

wéi (Luxembourgish): how; Alternative form of ewéi; sore, painful

Definitions

  1. how; Alternative form of ewéi; sore, painful

Ancestry of “wéi”, step by step

wéi traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle High German

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

via Old High German wīhī

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old High Germanwīhīconsecration
Every word from Proto-Indo-European waiEvery word from Proto-Germanic waiEvery word from Proto-West Germanic wai