Where does “weg-lā-weg” come from?

weg-lā-weg (Old English) comes from Old English wā lā wā, from Old Norse vei, from Proto-Germanic wai, from Proto-Indo-European wai — oh!; woe!.

Ancestry of “weg-lā-weg”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishwā lā wāalas, oh woe; weylawey
2Old Norseveiwoe
3Proto-Germanicwaiwoe! alas!
4Proto-Indo-Europeanwaioh!; woe!
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wai →Every word from Proto-Germanic wai →Every word from Old Norse vei →