Where does “ווייקען” come from?

ווייקען (Yiddish) comes from Yiddish וויי, 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!.

ווייקען (Yiddish): to say "vey"

Definitions

  1. to say "vey"

Ancestry of “ווייקען”, step by step

ווייקען traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Yiddish וויי

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Yiddishווייpain; woe
2Middle High German
3Old High Germanwoe
4Proto-West Germanicwaiwoe!, alas!
5Proto-Germanicwaiwoe! alas!
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwaioh!; woe!

via Yiddish קען

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Yiddishקען
Every word from Proto-Indo-European waiEvery word from Proto-Germanic waiEvery word from Proto-West Germanic wai