Wo
/woʊ/noun
An archaic or dialectal interjection expressing woe, distress, or lamentation.
Did you know?“Wo” is an obsolete spelling or dialectal form related to “woe,” an exclamation of grief inherited from ancient Indo-European lament formulas.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wai
“An exclamation of grief, pain, or lamentation”
Ancient Greek
Greek
οὐαί (ouaí)
“Alas! Woe!”
Classical Latin
Latin
vae
“Woe! Alas! An expression of distress or condemnation”
Old English
Old English
wā
“Woe! Alas! A cry of grief”
Middle English
Middle English
wo
“Woe, sorrow, or an expression of lament”
Modern English
English
wo
“An archaic or dialectal interjection of distress, largely superseded by “woe””