Where does “alas” come from?
alas (Middle English) comes from Old French a las, from Old French las, from Vulgar Latin laceum, from Latin laqueus, from Proto-Italic lakw- — to ensnare.
Ancestry of “alas”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | a las | alas |
| 2 | Old French | las | alas |
| 3 | Vulgar Latin | laceum | — |
| 4 | Latin | laqueus | noose; snare, gin, trap |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | lakw- | to ensnare |