Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “wēa” come from?

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

wēa (Old English): woe, grief, misery

Definitions

  1. woe, grief, misery

Ancestry of “wēa”, step by step

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

Words derived from “wēa”

  • wowe
  • wean
  • wawa
  • wāwa
  • wae
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wai →