οὐαί

See also: ουαί

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Traditionally compared with the set Latin vae, Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌹 (wai), etc., from Proto-Indo-European *wáy, but it is not derivable from there through regular sound laws. Beekes argues for a Semitic loanword; compare e.g. Hebrew אוֹי (oy). Cognacy with Sanskrit उवे (uve) through *uwáy is likewise not without phonological problems. Ultimately expressive.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /uː.ǎi̯/ → /uˈɛ/ → /uˈe/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /uː.ǎi̯/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /uˈɛ/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /uˈɛ/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /uˈe/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /uˈe/

Interjection

οὐαί • (ouaí)

1. (exclamation of pain and anger) ah, woe, alas

   Οὐαὶ τοῖς ἡττημένοις.

   Ouaì toîs hēttēménois.

   Woe to the conquered.

   • 300 BCE – 200 BCE, Septuagint, Amos 5.18
   • 300 BCE – 200 BCE, Septuagint, 1 Kings 13.30
   • 108 CE, Arrian, Discourses of Epictetus 3.19.1

Synonyms

• αἴ (aí)
• οἴ (oí)

References

• “οὐαί”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “οὐαί”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• οὐαί in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• G3759 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN