wowe

== Middle English == === Alternative forms === wawe, weowe, wou, wow === Etymology === From Old English wāwa, a variant of wēa, from Proto-Germanic *waiwô (hence a doublet of we (“woe”)). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈwɔu̯(ə)/ === Noun === wowe (plural wowes) Woe, discomfort; a state of intense depression and sorrowfulness. A lack of luck or fortuitousness; bad fortune. An unlucky or unfortunate event; something that feels negative. Injury, painfulness; the result of physical harming. (rare) Upsetness, unhappiness. ==== Usage notes ==== This word would have come to sound the same as woe in the Early Modern English period and was probably conflated with it. ==== References ==== “wōwe, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 30 December 2018.