alas

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See also: Appendix:Variations of "alas"

English

WOTD – 24 September 2015

Etymology 1

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.

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Interjection

alas

  1. Used to express sorrow, regret, compassion, grief, resignation, or disappointment.
    Synonyms: alack, oh well
    I wanted to catch the last bus home, but alas, I was ten minutes late and had to take a taxi instead.
    • c. 1521, John Skelton, Speke Parott:
      Helas I lamente the dull abuſyd brayne
      The enfatuate fantaſies the wytles wylfulnes
      Of on and hothyr at me that haue dyſdayne
    • c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, , page 278, column 1:
      Alas poore Yorick, I knew him Horatio, a fellow of infinite Ieſt; of moſt excellent fancy, he hath borne me on his backe a thouſand times: And how abhorred my Imagination is, my gorge riſes at it.
    • 1611, The Holy Bible,  (King James Version), London: Robert Barker, , →OCLC, Revelation 18:10:
      Standing afarre off for the feare of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great citie Babylon, that mighty citie: for in one houre is thy iudgement come.
    • 1920, Edward Carpenter, Pagan and Christian Creeds, New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., published 1921, page 188:
      The thorough and shameless commercialism of Sex has alas! been reserved for what is called "Christian civilization," and with it (perhaps as a necessary consequence) Prostitution and Syphilis have grown into appalling evils, accompanied by a gigantic degradation of social standards, and upgrowth of petty Philistinism and niaiserie.
Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 2

 Alas (geography) on Wikipedia

From Yakut алаас (alaas).

Noun

alas (plural alases or alasses)

  1. A type of geological depression which occurs in Yakutia, formed by the subsidence of permafrost.
Translations

Anagrams

Aromanian

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Latin laxō. Compare Romanian lăsa, las.

Verb

alas first-singular present indicative (past participle alãsatã)

  1. to let, allow
  2. to leave (something), drop

Derived terms

Related terms

Balinese

Romanization

alas

  1. Romanization of ᬳᬮᬲ᭄.

Cebuano

Etymology 1

Blend of a +‎ las. From Spanish a las.

Adverb

alas

  1. o'clock

Etymology 2

From Spanish as.

Noun

alas

  1. (card games) an ace; a card with a single spot
  2. a trump card

Estonian

Noun

alas

  1. inessive singular of ala

Finnish

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *alas. Equivalent to ala- +‎ -s (s-lative singular).

Pronunciation

Adverb

alas (comparative alemmaksi or alemmas, superlative alimmaksi or alimmas)

  1. down, downward, downwards

Inflection

Declension of ala-
noun case singular pluraladverbial form singular plural
nominative ala- –superessive alhaalla –
genitive – –delative alhaalta –
partitive – –sublative alhaalle –
accusative – –lative alas –
inessive – –temporal – –
elative – –causative – –
illative – –multiplicative – –
adessive alla –distributive – –
ablative alta –temp. dist. – –
allative alle –prolative ali
alitse		 –
essive – –situative allekkain
(alakkain)		 –
translative – –oppositive alatusten –
abessive – –
instructive – –
comitative – –

Synonyms

Antonyms

  • (antonym(s) of “down; downward”): ylös

Interjection

alas

  1. (followed by a nominative) down with (e.g. in demonstrations)
    Alas rikolliset!
    Down with the criminals!

Verb

alas

  1. second-person singular present imperative of alkaa (with enclitic -s)

Derived terms

compounds

Further reading

Anagrams

Indonesian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /a.las/
  • Hyphenation: a‧las

Etymology 1

From Malay alas (“base, layer”), from Classical Malay الس (alas).

Noun

alas (first-person possessive alasku, second-person possessive alasmu, third-person possessive alasnya)

  1. base, foundation
  2. layer, lining, covering
Synonyms
Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Javanese alas (ꦲꦭꦱ꧀, “forest”), from Old Javanese alas (“forest”), from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *halas (“forest, wilderness, woods, jungle”), from Proto-Austronesian *Salas (“forest, wilderness, woods”). Cognate to Balinese ᬳᬮᬲ᭄ (alas, “forest”).

Noun

alas (first-person possessive alasku, second-person possessive alasmu, third-person possessive alasnya)

  1. forest
    Synonyms: hutan, rimba, wana

Etymology 3

From Javanese .

Noun

alas (first-person possessive alasku, second-person possessive alasmu, third-person possessive alasnya)

  1. rope on a small boat balancer

Further reading

Ingrian

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *alas. Cognates include Finnish alas and dialectal Estonian alas.

Pronunciation

Adverb

alas

  1. Synonym of allaa
    • 1936, D. I. Efimov, Lukukirja: Inkeroisia alkușkouluja vart (ensimäine osa), Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 13:
      Yks, kaks! Alas läks.
      Yks! Kaks! Ympäär plaks!
      One, two! Down you go.
      One! Two! Around you plop down!

Derived terms

Related terms

References

  • Ruben E. Nirvi (1971) Inkeroismurteiden Sanakirja, Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura, page 11
  • Arvo Laanest (1997) Isuri keele Hevaha murde sõnastik, Eesti Keele Instituut, page 19

Javanese

Romanization

alas

  1. Romanization of ꦲꦭꦱ꧀

Latin

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

Noun

ālās

  1. accusative plural of āla

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

Verb

alās

  1. second-person singular present active subjunctive of alō

References

Latvian

Pronunciation

Noun

alas f

  1. inflection of ala:
    1. genitive singular
    2. nominative/vocative/accusative plural

Malay

Pronunciation

Noun

alas (Jawi spelling الس, plural alas-alas, informal 1st possessive alasku, 2nd possessive alasmu, 3rd possessive alasnya)

  1. base, framework, layer, pad, foundation

Derived terms

Further reading

Middle English

Etymology

from Old French a las.

Interjection

alas

  1. alas
    • 1470–1483 (date produced), Thom̃s Malleorre [i.e., Thomas Malory], “[Morte Arthur]”, in Le Morte Darthur (British Library Additional Manuscript 59678), [England: s.n.], folio 451, verso, lines 13–14:
      Alas ſeyde quene Gwenyu[er] now ar we myſcheved bothe //
      “Alas!” said Queen Guinevere, “now are we mischieved both!”

Descendants

  • English: alas

Mirandese

Noun

alas

  1. plural of ala

Occitan

Noun

alas

  1. plural of ala

Old Javanese

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *halas (“forest, wilderness, woods, jungle”), from Proto-Austronesian *Salas (“forest, wilderness, woods”).

Noun

alas

  1. wood, forest
  2. quantity of flowers or plants growing in a thick cluster

Descendants

Further reading

  • "alas" in P.J. Zoetmulder with the collaboration of S.O. Robson, Old Javanese-English Dictionary. 's-Gravenhage: M. Nijhoff, 1982.

Old Spanish

Noun

alas

  1. plural of ala

Portuguese

Noun

alas

  1. plural of ala

Verb

alas

  1. second-person singular present indicative of alar

Serbo-Croatian

Noun

àlās m (Cyrillic spelling а̀ла̄с)

  1. alternative form of hàlās

Declension

Declension of alas
singular plural
nominative àlās alási
genitive alása alásā
dative alásu alásima
accusative àlās aláse
vocative alase alási
locative alásu alásima
instrumental alásom alásima

Spanish

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈalas/
  • Audio (Venezuela):(file)
  • Rhymes: -alas
  • Syllabification: a‧las

Noun

alas f pl

  1. plural of ala

Sundanese

Noun

alas

  1. forest

Tagalog

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Spanish al as.

Pronunciation

Noun

alás (Baybayin spelling ᜀᜎᜐ᜔)

  1. (card games) ace
    Synonym: eis
  2. (figuratively, by extension) trump card
Derived terms
See also
Playing cards in Tagalog · baraha (layout · text)
alas dos tres kuwatro singko seis siyete
otso nuwebe diyes kabayo, sota reyna hari diyoker, payaso

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Spanish a las.

Pronunciation

Adverb

alás (Baybayin spelling ᜀᜎᜐ᜔)

  1. o'clock (except for one o' clock)
    Synonym: (for one o' clock) ala
Related terms

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

Adjective

alás (Baybayin spelling ᜀᜎᜐ᜔)

  1. cut short and even

Noun

alas (Baybayin spelling ᜀᜎᜐ᜔)

  1. act of cutting or lopping off growth evenly
    Synonym: palas
Derived terms

References

  • “alas”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018
  • Zorc, David Paul (1979–1983) Core Etymological Dictionary of Filipino: Part 1, page 9

Tetum

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *halas, from Proto-Austronesian *Salas.

Noun

alas

  1. forest
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