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alas

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alas¹

  • /əˈlæs/ UK
  • /əˈlɑːs/ UK
  • /əˈlæs/ US
  • /ɘˈlɛs/ New Zealand

Rhymes with -æs

Where it comes from

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.

interjection helas

  1. Used to express sorrow, regret, compassion, grief, resignation, or disappointment. I wanted to catch the last bus home, but alas, I was ten minutes late and had to take a taxi instead.

    Similar: alack, oh well

alas²

  • /əˈlɑːs/
  • /əˈlæs/

Where it comes from

From Yakut алаас (alaas).

noun alases · alasses

  1. A type of geological depression formed by the subsidence of permafrost, sometimes (partially) filled by a lake. Alternative forms: alass, alaas

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: regrettably, unfortunately, unluckily, wings, ach, painfully, already, wow, however, woe, tragically, afraid, sadly, woefully, lament, pity

Translations

Every language

intj exclamation of sorrow, etc.

Españolay, (pues) en fin, (pues) ni modo, pero bueno, ya ni modo, caballero nomás
日本語ああ ā, あたら atara
中文唉 āi, 哎呀 āiyā, 嗚呼 /呜呼 wūhū
Portuguêsai de mim, heu, guai
Françaishélas
Deutschleider, ach, bedauerlicherweise, weh
Italianoahimé, purtroppo
Ελληνικάφευ fef, αλίμονο alímono
Românăvai
Русскийувы́ uvý, ах ax
العربيةوَا حَسْرَتَاه wā ḥasratāh, وَاهًا wāhan
עבריתאוֹי oy, אֵיכָה eykha, אֲהָהּ ahah

noun type of depression

Русскийалас alas

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Cite this
MLA

"alas." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/alas. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

alas. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/alas

Chicago

"alas." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/alas.

BibTeX
@misc{alas_2026,
  title = {alas},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/alas},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}