Where does “aj waj” come from?

aj waj (Polish) comes from Yiddish אוי וויי, from Middle High German ōwē, from Middle High German wē, from Old High German wē, from Proto-West Germanic wai, from Proto-Germanic wai, from Proto-Indo-European wai — oh!; woe!.

aj waj (Polish): oy vey!, oh dear!

Definitions

  1. oy vey!, oh dear!

Ancestry of “aj waj”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Yiddishאוי ווייoh, ah, ugh, oy; oh no, woe is me; ouch
2Middle High Germanōwē—
3Middle High Germanwē—
4Old High Germanwēwoe
5Proto-West Germanicwaiwoe!, alas!
6Proto-Germanicwaiwoe! alas!
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwaioh!; woe!
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wai →Every word from Proto-Germanic wai →Every word from Proto-West Germanic wai →