vae Latin · revision 32114

+ {{infobox|confidence=probable|formation=onomatopoeia|attested=c. 250–184 BC, Plautus|origins=itc-pro *wai}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * Classical: [ˈwae̯]^(Wiktionary)

+ * Ecclesiastical: [ˈvɛː]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''vae''' ^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|itc-pro|*wai]], a cry of pain.^(de Vaan 2008)^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary) De Vaan thinks that it and its cognates are probably independent onomatopoeic forms, though shared inheritance cannot be ruled out;^(de Vaan 2008)^(Wiktionary) Wiktionary traces them to [[ine-pro|*wáy]].^(de Vaan 2008)^(Wiktionary) Cognate with [[cy|gwae|t=alas]], [[got|𐍅𐌰𐌹|tr=wai|t=woe]], [[ang|wā|t=woe]] and [[en|woe]].^(de Vaan 2008)^(Wiktionary)^(OLD 2012) Lewis & Short compare [[grc|οὐαί|tr=ouaí|t=alas]].^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ De Vaan and Köbler date it from Plautus,^(de Vaan 2008)^(Köbler 2010) who uses it with the dative in cries of anguish and in curses, as in the ''Asinaria'': “woe to the man who watched the door so carelessly!”.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ It is a cry of pain or dread, alas!, mostly with the dative of the person concerned and rarely with the accusative, as Catullus' “wretched girl, woe to you!”.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879) It can stand on its own in a sentence, as in Virgil's “Mantua, alas, too near to wretched Cremona”.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879) In denunciations it means bad luck to, so much the worse for, and ''vae victīs'' “woe to the conquered” was the cry attributed to Brennus after he took Rome, which Livy calls a phrase the Romans could not bear.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879) It is also a mere imprecation, as Plautus' “curses on you, you mouse-killer”.^(OLD 2012) Church Latin uses it for woe, alas, showing pain or dread.^(Stelten 1995)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 250–184 BC – Plautus in cries of anguish and curses.^(OLD 2012)^(de Vaan 2008)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 81/79–52/50 BC – Catullus with the accusative.^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 70–19 BC – Virgil of Mantua near Cremona.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 59 BC–17 AD – Livy reports Brennus' ''vae victīs''.^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Interjection===

+ # [[m|en|alas|alt=Alas]]!, [[m|en|woe]]!, a cry of pain or dread, usually with the dative.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Stelten 1995)^(Wiktionary)

+ # In denunciations, bad luck to!, so much the worse for!;^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879) ''vae victīs'', woe to the conquered.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)

+ # As a curse.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[en|woe]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}