Where does “woe” come from?

woe (Middle English) comes from Old English wā, from Proto-West Germanic wai, from Proto-Germanic wai, from Proto-Indo-European wai — oh!; woe!.

woe (Middle English): Alternative form of we

Definitions

  1. Alternative form of we

Ancestry of “woe”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishwāwoe
2Proto-West Germanicwaiwoe!, alas!
3Proto-Germanicwaiwoe! alas!
4Proto-Indo-Europeanwaioh!; woe!
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wai →Every word from Proto-Germanic wai →Every word from Proto-West Germanic wai →