wellaway

American

[wel-uh-wey] / ˈwɛl əˈweɪ /

Also welladay

interjection

Archaic.

(used to express sorrow.)

wellaway British

/ ˈwɛləˈweɪ /

interjection

archaic woe! alas!

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of wellaway

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!

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Welladay, wel′a-dā, Wellaway, wel′a-wā, interjs. alas!

From Project Gutenberg

Ah!" cried the prince impassion'd, "Harrow and wellaway!

From Project Gutenberg

Ask them what they ail, or who brought them in this stay, They answer not at all, but "alack!" and "wellaway!"

From Project Gutenberg

Within the house, and at the door, sitting by this same post, Where I was looking a long hour, before these folks came here; But, wellaway, all was in vain, my nee'le is never the near!

From Project Gutenberg

Back, ah, come back! ah wellaway!

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023