οὐαί

See also: ουαί

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Traditionally compared with the set Latin vae, Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌹 (wai), etc., from Proto-Indo-European *wáy, but it is not derivable from there through regular sound laws. Lowe argues against οὐαί being a transliteration of Biblical Hebrew אוֹי ('oy).^[1]^[2] Ultimately expressive.

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /uː.ǎi̯/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /uˈɛ/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /uˈɛ/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /uˈe/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /uˈe/

Interjection

οὐαί • (ouaí)

(exclamation of pain and anger) ah, woe, alas
Synonyms: αἴ (aí), οἴ (oí), ὀά (oá)

Οὐαὶ τοῖς ἡττημένοις.
Ouaì toîs hēttēménois.
Woe to the conquered.
- 300 BCE – 200 BCE, Septuagint, Amos 5.18
- 300 BCE – 200 BCE, Septuagint, 1 Kings 13.30
- 108 CE, Arrian, Discourses of Epictetus 3.19.1

Descendants

Greek: ουαί (ouaí), βάι (vái)
→ Aramaic: וָי (wāy)^[1]
→ Mishnaic Hebrew: וַי (way)^[1]

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 Lowe, A. D. (1967), “The Origin of Οὐαί”, in Hermathena, volume 105, pages 34-39
^ Logozzo, Felicia (2022), “Οὐαὶ ὑμῖν... Guai a voi! Dal lamento alla minaccia in greco biblico”, in Veleia (in Italian), volume 39, page 116 of 113-127

Further reading

“οὐαί”, in Liddell & Scott (1940), A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“οὐαί”, in Liddell & Scott (1889), An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
οὐαί in Bailly, Anatole (1935), Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
G3759 in Strong, James (1979), Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible