Where does “waeful” come from?
waeful (Scots) comes from Scots wae, from Old English wā, from Proto-West Germanic wai, from Proto-Germanic wai, from Proto-Indo-European wai — oh!; woe!.
waeful (Scots): woeful
Definitions
- woeful
Ancestry of “waeful”, step by step
waeful traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Scots wae
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scots | wae | woe |
| 2 | Old English | wā | woe |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | wai | woe!, alas! |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | wai | woe! alas! |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | wai | oh!; woe! |
via Scots ful
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scots | ful | — |