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Anglo-Saxon

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æ
þ

wá

  • adverb
  • interjection
Dictionary links
Wright's OE grammar
§133;
Grammar
wá, adv.
Woe, ill
Show examples

  • Ða mé grame wǽron and mé wá dydon (cf.

    Goth.

    wai-dédja),
      Ps. Th. 118, 38.
with dat. of person
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  • Ðé byþ ǽfre wá

    it shall be ever ill with thee,

      Nicod. 26; Thw. 14, 12: Beo. Th. 369; B. 183: Exon. Th, 444, 25; Kl. 52: Blickl. Homl. 61, 2.

  • Him biþ æt heortan wá,

      Salm. Kmbl. 210; Sal. 104.

  • Him wæs ǽghwǽr wá,

      Cd. Th. 285, 24; Sat. 342.

  • Bið ðam men full wá,

      40, 5; Gen. 634.

  • Hí ne mihton ásecgan, hú wá ðám sáwlum byð,

      Wulfst. 147, 17.

  • Ðæt him nǽfre ǽr nǽre swá wá swá him ðá wæs,

      235, 19.

  • Ne weorðe ðé nǽfre tó ðæs wá, ðæt ðú ne wéne betran andergilde,

      Prov. Kmbl. 41.
with gen. of the source of ill
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  • Wæs gehwæþeres waa,

      Met. 1, 25.
with dat. of person, and
gen. of source
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  • Ðæm folce wæs ǽgþres waa, ge ðæt..., ge eác ðæt...,

      Ors, 3, 7; Swt. 114, 31.

  • Him wæs gehwæðres wá, ge .. . ge...,

      Elen. Kmbl. 1253; El. 628.
with a clause
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  • Him bið wá on his móde, ðæt gé swá ánrǽde beód,

      Homl. Skt. i. 17, 167.

  • Ðá wæs ðam deófle waa on his móde, ðæt se man sceolde ða myrhðe geearnian,

      Hexam, 17; Norm. 24, 22.
Grammar
wá, interject.
woe, alas; vae,
with dat. of person: Wá (wǽ,
    Lind. Rush.
) ðam menn uae homini illi, Mk. Skt. 14, 21. Wá eów ðe hlihaþ, Blickl. Homl. 25, 22. Wá mé forworhtum, Exon. Th. 280, 20; Jul. 632. Waa ieów welegum, Past. 26; Swt. 181, 23.
with dat. of person and
gen. of cause of ill
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  • Wá ðæs gestreónes ðam ðe his mǽst hafaþ,

      Wulfst. 45, 19.

  • Wá heom ðæs wærscipes,

      268, 19: Hy. 2, 6; Exon. Th. 393, 11; Rä. 12, 8.

  • Wá mé (

    heu mihi

    ) ðære wyrde,
      Ps. Th. 119, 5.
with preposition
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  • Wá mánfullan (

    ve impio

    ) for his misdǽdan,
      Wulfst. 45, 15.

  • Wá (wǽ, Lind.) ðysum middangearde þurh swicdómas

    vae mundo a scandalis,

      Mt. Kmbl. 18, 7. ¶
well-a-way, well-a-day (
Laym. wa la wa: A. R. O. and N. wo la wo: Chauc. wai la wai)
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  • Wá lá! áhte ic mínra handa geweald,

      Cd. Th. 23, 32; Gen. 368.

  • Wá lá ðære yrmðe and wá lá ðære woruldscame,

      Wulfst. 163, 3.

  • Wá ús lá,

      Blickl. Homl. 153, 26.

  • Wá lá wá

    eheu,

      Wrt. Voc. ii. 32, 44.

  • Wá lá wá hú ic greów..., wá lá on hú micelre genihtsumnysse ic hwílum wæs,

      Homl. Skt. ii. 30, 189-193.

  • Wá lá wá ðæt is sárlíc

    heu, pros dolor!

      Bd. 2, 1; S. 501, 14.

  • Wá lá wá ðæt ða ungesǽligan menn ne magon gebídon hwonne hé him tó cóme,

      Bt. 39, 1; Fox 212, 1.
expressing anger or contempt,
ah; vah
Show examples

  • Wá lá wá

    euge, euge,

      Ps. Lamb. 39, 16.

  • Wá ðæt ðes tówyrpð Godes tempel,

      Mt. Kmbl. 27, 40.

  • Wá lá (wǽ, Lind. Rush.) se tówyrpð ðæt tempel

    va qui destruit templum,

      Mk. Skt. 15, 29.
Etymology
[Goth. wai vae: O. Sax. O. H. Ger. wé: Icel. vei.]
Similar entries
v. wei ; wáwa, weá.
Linked entries
v.  eów waa wǽ.
Entry information
Citation

Bosworth, Joseph. “wá.” In An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary Online, edited by Thomas Northcote Toller, Christ Sean, and Ondřej Tichy. Prague: Faculty of Arts, Charles University, 2014. https://bosworthtoller.com/34175.

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Full form

Word-wheel

  • wá, adv.; int.

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