wellaway

(redirected from wellaways)

well·a·way

(wĕl′ə-wā′) Archaic

interj.

Used to express woe or distress.

n. pl. well·a·ways

A lamentation.

[Middle English, alteration (influenced by well, well awai, away) of Old English weilāwei, alteration (influenced by Old Scandinavian *wei, woe) of wā lā wā : wā, woe; see woe + lā, lo; see lo.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

wellaway

(ˈwɛləˈweɪ) or

wellaways

interj

archaic woe! alas!

[Old English, from wei lā wei, variant of wā lā wā, literally: woe! lo woe]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

well•a•way

(ˈwɛl əˈweɪ)

also well•a•day

(-ˈdeɪ)

interj.

Archaic. (used to express sorrow.)

[before 900; Middle English we(i)lawei, Old English weilāwei (wei < Scandinavian; compare Old Norse vei woe), replacing Old English wā lā wā woe! lo! woe!]