Where does “אוי וויי” come from?
אוי וויי (Yiddish) comes 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!.
אוי וויי (Yiddish): oh, ah, ugh, oy; oh no, woe is me; ouch
Definitions
- oh, ah, ugh, oy; oh no, woe is me; ouch
Ancestry of “אוי וויי”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle High German | ōwē | — |
| 2 | Middle High German | wē | — |
| 3 | Old High German | wē | woe |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | wai | woe!, alas! |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | wai | woe! alas! |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wai | oh!; woe! |
Words derived from “אוי וויי”