in weal and woe

English

WOTD – 22 August 2023

Etymology

PIE word
*wáy

From weal (“prosperity; welfare”) + woe (“great distress or sadness; calamity, trouble”). Compare Dutch wel en wee, Swedish väl och ve.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɪn ˌwiːl‿n̩ ˈwəʊ/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɪn ˌwil‿n̩ ˈwoʊ/

• Audio (GA)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊ

Prepositional phrase

in weal and woe

1. In both prosperity and adversity; in good times and bad.

Translations

in both prosperity and adversity

• Czech: v dobrém i zlém, v hojnosti i nedostatku
• Danish: i medgang og modgang
• Dutch: in goede en in slechte tijden
• Finnish: niin myötä- kuin vastoinkäymisissä
• French: pour le meilleur et pour le pire (fr)
• Macedonian: и во сре́ќа и во бе́да (i vo sréḱa i vo béda)
• Polish: na dobre i na złe (pl)
• Vietnamese: hoạ phúc, họa phúc

See also

• through thick and thin
• in sickness and in health
• for better or worse
• all-weather friend