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