wellaway

interjection

wel·​la·​way ˌwe-lə-ˈwā 

ˈwe-lə-ˌwā

archaic

—used to express sorrow or lamentation

Word History

Etymology

Middle English welaway, from Old English weilāwei, literally, woe! lo! woe!, alteration of wālāwā, from wā woe + lā lo + wā woe — more at woe

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above