Where does “alacke” come from?
alacke (Middle English) comes from English ah, from Chinese 阿, from English aren’t, from English -n’t, from English Not, from Middle English not, from Middle English nought, from Old English nōwiht.
Ancestry of “alacke”, step by step
alacke traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English ah
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ah | An expression of relief, relaxation, comfort,... |
| 2 | Chinese | 阿 | — |
| 3 | English | aren’t | are not (negative auxiliary) |
| 4 | English | -n’t | — |
| 5 | English | Not | — |
| 6 | Middle English | not | not; nothing, nought; nobody, no person |
| 7 | Middle English | nought | nothing, none; not; iniquitous, wicked |
| 8 | Old English | nōwiht | — |
| 9 | Old English | ne | not; or, and not; "ne... ne..." is used to mean "... |
| 10 | Old English | ealles | completely, wholly, entirely; totally,... |
| 11 | Old English | -es | possessive marker, indicating that an object... |
| 12 | Proto-Germanic | -as | used in formation of adverbs |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | -ēs | Primarily forms adjectival bahuvrīhi compounds |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | -ess | — |