Where does “wāwa” come from?

wāwa (Old English) comes from Proto-Germanic waiwô, from Proto-Indo-European wai — oh!; woe!.

Ancestry of “wāwa”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanicwaiwôwoe, grief, misery; evil, wickedness, malice
2Proto-Indo-Europeanwaioh!; woe!

Words derived from “wāwa

Every word from Proto-Indo-European waiEvery word from Proto-Germanic waiwô