Where does “wā lā wā” come from?
wā lā wā (Old English) comes from Old Norse vei, from Proto-Germanic wai, from Proto-Indo-European wai — oh!; woe!.
Ancestry of “wā lā wā”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Norse | vei | woe |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | wai | woe! alas! |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | wai | oh!; woe! |
Words derived from “wā lā wā”