Where does “vai” come from?

vai (Romanian) comes from Romanian vale, from Latin vallis, from Proto-Indo-European wēlH-, from Proto-Indo-European welH- — to turn, to wind.

vai (Romanian): alas, woe

Definitions

  1. alas, woe

Ancestry of “vai”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Romanianvalevalley
2Latinvallisvalley, vale; hollow; dative plural of vāllum
3Proto-Indo-EuropeanwēlH-to roll, to undulate
4Proto-Indo-EuropeanwelH-to turn, to wind

Words derived from “vai”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European welH- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European wēlH- →Every word from Latin vallis →