Where does “wa” come from?
wa (Middle English) comes from Old English wā, from Proto-West Germanic wai, from Proto-Germanic wai, from Proto-Indo-European wai — oh!; woe!.
Ancestry of “wa”, step by step
wa traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old English wā
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | wā | woe |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | wai | woe!, alas! |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | wai | woe! alas! |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | wai | oh!; woe! |
via Old English wǣ
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | wǣ | — |