վայ

Armenian

Etymology

From Old Armenian վայ (vay). The adverbial usage is a semantic loan from Russian го́ре (góre).

Pronunciation

Interjection

վայ • (vay)

  1. cry of distress, woe!; cry of negative amazement
    Վայ, ի՞նչ արեց։Vay, i?nčʿ arecʿ.Oh my, what did he do?

Noun

վայ • (vay)

  1. a cry of distress, pain or grief, wail
  2. (figuratively) woe, sorrow
  3. (figuratively) misfortune, disaster, calamity
    Այս ի՜նչ վայ էր, որ եկավ մեր գլխինAys i!nčʿ vay ēr, or ekav mer glxinOh, what misfortune that befell us!

Declension

Adverb

վայ • (vay)

  1. placed before a word to express one's view that something or someone is not worthy of being called as such; so-called, poor excuse for
    վայ-գիտնականներvay-gitnakannerso-called scientists
    վայ-քննադատvay-kʿnnadatcriticaster

Old Armenian

Etymology

PIE word
*wáy

Borrowed from Parthian 𐫇𐫀𐫏 (wʾy /⁠wāy⁠/) or Middle Persian 𐫇𐫀𐫏 (wʾy /⁠wāy⁠/, woe, woe to!) (whence Persian وای (vây)), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wáy. The attempts to treat վայ (vay) as an inheritance from Proto-Indo-European *wáy are unnecessary and irregular, as word-initial prevocalic *w- yields գ- (g-) in Armenian: compare գայլ (gayl), գառն (gaṙn), գետ (get) etc, whereas the Iranian borrowing is perfectly regular.[1]

Interjection

վայ • (vay)

  1. cry of distress, woe! alas! oh! ah!
    վա՛յ քեզváy kʿezwoe to you!
    վա՛յ ինձ, վա՛յ զիս, վա՛յ զինեւváy inj, váy zis, váy zinewwoe is me! how unhappy I am!
    վա՛յ քաղաքդ մեծváy kʿałakʿd mecwoe! woe to the great city!

Noun

վայ • (vay)

  1. woe, cry of pain or grief, lament, wail, moans
    վայ զվայիւ աղաղակել, ճիչելvay zvayiw ałałakel, čičʿelto cry bitterly, to wail, to lament aloud, to deplore, to complain
    արդարեւ վայի են արժանիardarew vayi en aržanithey are truly unhappy
  2. disaster, calamity, misfortune
    վայ կարդալ անձինvay kardal anjinto create misfortunes for oneself

Declension

Derived terms

  • վայեմ (vayem)
  • վայասացութիւն (vayasacʿutʿiwn)
  • վայումն (vayumn)

References

  1. Bolognesi, Giancarlo (2009), R. B. Finazzi, P. Fontani, A. Scala, P. Tornaghi, editors, Storia della linguistica e linguistica storica, Alessandria: Edizioni dell'Orso, pages 299–303
  • Awetikʿean, G.; Siwrmēlean, X.; Awgerean, M. (1836–1837), վայ”, in Nor baṙgirkʿ haykazean lezui [New Dictionary of the Armenian Language] (in Old Armenian), Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy
  • Petrosean, Matatʿeay (1879), վայ”, in Nor Baṙagirkʿ Hay-Angliarēn [New Dictionary Armenian–English], Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy

Further reading

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