Where does “woe” come from?

woe (Middle Dutch) comes from Old Dutch wuo, from Proto-Germanic hwō, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷís.

woe (Middle Dutch): Alternative form of hoe

Definitions

  1. Alternative form of hoe

Ancestry of “woe”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Dutchwuo—
2Proto-Germanichwōhow, with what, by what means; instrumental of...
3Proto-Indo-European*kʷís—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European *kʷís →Every word from Proto-Germanic hwō →Every word from Old Dutch wuo →