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.

alas (Middle English): alas

Definitions

  1. alas

Ancestry of “alas”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frencha lasalas
2Old Frenchlasalas
3Vulgar Latinlaceum—
4Latinlaqueusnoose; snare, gin, trap
5Proto-Italiclakw-to ensnare

Words derived from “alas”

Every word from Proto-Italic lakw- →Every word from Latin laqueus →Every word from Vulgar Latin laceum →