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?nčʻ arecʻ. ― 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 գլխին ― Ays i!nčʻ vay ēr, or ekav mer glxin ― Oh, 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-գիտնականներ ― vay-gitnakanner ― so-called scientists
    վայ-քննադատ ― vay-kʻnnadat ― criticaster

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 քեզ ― váy kʻez ― woe to you!
    վա՛յ ինձ, վա՛յ զիս, վա՛յ զինեւ ― váy inj, váy zis, váy zinew ― woe is me! how unhappy I am!
    վա՛յ քաղաքդ մեծ ― váy kʻałakʻd mec ― woe! woe to the great city!

Noun

վայ • (vay)

  1. woe, cry of pain or grief, lament, wail, moans
    վայ զվայիւ աղաղակել, ճիչել ― vay zvayiw ałałakel, čičʻel ― to cry bitterly, to wail, to lament aloud, to deplore, to complain
    արդարեւ վայի են արժանի ― ardarew vayi en aržani ― they are truly unhappy
  2. disaster, calamity, misfortune
    վայ կարդալ անձին ― vay kardal anjin ― to create misfortunes for oneself

Declension

Derived terms

  • վայեմ (vayem)
  • վայասացութիւն (vayasacʻutʻiwn)
  • 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
  • Awetikʻean, G., Siwrmēlean, X., Awgerean, M. (1836–1837) “վայ”, in Nor baṙgirkʻ haykazean lezui [New Dictionary of the Armenian Language] (in Old Armenian), Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy
  • Petrosean, Matatʻeay (1879) “վայ”, in Nor Baṙagirkʻ Hay-Angliarēn [New Dictionary Armenian–English], Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy

Further reading

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