Etymology

wellaway

W4E1L1L1A1W4A1Y4

Today it means: Expression of sadness, regret, remorse, etc., alas, "woe"! Full definition →

Middle English weylawey ← Old English weġ lā weġ ← Old Norse vei
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The story

  1. Old Norse · derived fromvei
  2. Old English · inherited fromweġ lā weġ
  3. Middle English · inherited fromweylawey
  4. English todaywellaway

From Middle English weylawey, from Old English weġ lā weġ, alteration of wā lā wā, with substitution of Old Norse vei for Old English wā. Compare wellawo, weila.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.