I. ˈwō interjection
Etymology: Middle English wo, wa, from Old English wā; akin to Old High German wē interjection used to express grief, Old Norse vei, Gothic wai, Latin vae
— used to express grief, regret, or distress
II. adjective
Etymology: Middle English wo, wa, from wo, wa, interjection
dialect : woeful , sorrowful , grieved , miserable , melancholy
he waxed wondrous woe — Edmund Spenser
III. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English wo, wa, from wo, wa, interjection
1.
a. : a miserable or sorrowful state : a condition of deep suffering from misfortune, affliction, or grief : distress
a scene of woe
a tale of woe
for weal or woe
want and woe
— often used in denunciation or in exclamations of sorrow
woe to me! For I am lost — Isa 6:5 (Revised Standard Version)
b. : calamity , misfortune , trouble — usually used in plural
economic woes
papers and magazines are always full of their gripes, squawks, and woes — E.L.Jones
2. : curse , anathema
this woe came out of Christ's mouth — Samuel Rutherford
Synonyms: see sorrow