Added 7 October 2026
woe
/wəʊ/ symbol
In Latin: dolor, luctus Wiktionary
symbol Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about woe at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
noun
-
Great sadness or distress; a misfortune causing such sadness.
Oh, woe is me!
- Calamity, trouble.
- A curse; a malediction.
adjective
interjection
- An exclamation of grief.
Origin
From Middle English wo, woo, from Old English wā, wǣ, from Proto-West Germanic *wai (interjection), from Proto-Germanic *wai (“woe!”, interjection), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wáy (“oh!; ah!; woe!; alas!”, interjection).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)