אוי

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Hebrew

Root
א־ב־ה (ʾ-b-h)

Pronunciation

  • Audio:(file)

Interjection

אוֹי (oy)

  1. oh, alas, woe, oy
    Synonyms: (Biblical) אֲהָהּ, (Talmudic) וַי
    • Tanach, 1 Samuel 4:8, with translation of the King James Version:
      אוֹי לָנוּ מִי יַצִּילֵנוּ מִיַּד הָאֱלֹהִים הָאַדִּירִים הָאֵלֶּה אֵלֶּה הֵם הָאֱלֹהִים הַמַּכִּים אֶת-מִצְרַיִם בְּכָל-מַכָּה בַּמִּדְבָּר
      oy lánu mi yatzilénu miyyád haelohím haaddirím haélle élle hem haelohím hamakkím et-mitzráyim bəchól makká bamidbár
      Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness.
    • 200 CE, Pirkei Avot:
      אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי, בְּכָל יוֹם וָיוֹם בַּת קוֹל יוֹצֵאת מֵהַר חוֹרֵב וּמַכְרֶזֶת וְאוֹמֶרֶת, אוֹי לָהֶם לַבְּרִיּוֹת מֵעֶלְבּוֹנָהּ שֶׁל תּוֹרָה.
      Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said, Every single day a heavenly voice comes out from Mount Horeb and proclaims, Woe unto creation for its insult of Torah!

Derived terms

Descendants

  • Yiddish: אוי (oy)

See also

Yiddish

Etymology

Disputed. Either from Germanic (compare Dutch oei, German au, English oh) or from Hebrew אוֹי (ʾōy).

Compare also Polish oj, Russian ой (oj).

Interjection

אוי (oy)

  1. oh, ah, ugh, oy

Derived terms

Descendants

  • English: oy