alas
Pronunciation: /əˈlæs/
The English word “alas” has 2 meanings listed here.
interjection
- Used to express sorrow, regret, compassion, grief, resignation, or disappointment.
noun
- A type of geological depression formed by the subsidence of permafrost, sometimes (partially) filled by a lake.
Etymology
From Middle English alas, from Old French a las (French hélas), from a (“ah”) + las, from Latin lassus (“weary”). Compare Dutch helaas, North Frisian ielas, West Frisian eilaas.
Keep exploring: in the interactive dictionary every word of a definition is a link. Open “alas” there
More English words
About this dictionary
The English dictionary on Glottosphere has 650,529 entries with a page. Browse the English dictionary.
Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.