alas

See also: Appendix:Variations of "alas"

Languages (27)

English

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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

• (obsolete) helas

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /əˈlæs/, /əˈlɑːs/
• (US) IPA^(key): /əˈlæs/
• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ɘˈlɛs/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Audio (Australia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æs

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[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i], 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

• alack and alas
• alas and alack
• alas the day, alas the while

Translations

exclamation of sorrow, etc. — see also anyway,‎ oh well,‎ woe is me,‎ have to,‎ resign oneself,‎ take the L

• Albanian: bubu (sq), bobo (sq), vaj (sq)
• Amharic: ወዮ (wäyo)
• Arabic: وَا حَسْرَتَاه (wā ḥasratāh), وَاهًا (wāhan)
• Armenian: ափսոս (hy) (apʻsos), ավաղ (hy) (avaġ)
• Breton: siwazh (br)
• Bulgarian: уви́ (bg) (uví)
• Catalan: ai las (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 唉 (zh) (āi), 哎呀 (zh) (āiyā), 嗚呼 / 呜呼 (zh) (wūhū)

• Czech: běda (cs)
• Danish: ak
• Dutch: helaas (nl),, ach en wee
• Egyptian: (jmw)
• Esperanto: ve (eo)
• Estonian: paraku (et), kahjuks (et)
• Finnish: voi kauhistus, kauheaa, kuinka ikävää
• Fon: please add this translation if you can
• French: hélas (fr)
• Galician: ai (gl)
• Georgian: ვაი (vai), ვაი მე (vai me)
• German: leider (de), ach (de), bedauerlicherweise (de), weh (de)
• Gothic: 𐍅𐌰𐌹 (wai)
• Greek: φευ (el) (fef), αλίμονο (el) (alímono)

  Ancient Greek: φεῦ (pheû)

• Hebrew: אוֹי (he) m (oy), אֵיכָה (he) (eykha), אֲהָהּ (he) (ahah)
• Hiligaynon: abá, abáo
• Hungarian: ajjaj (hu), jaj (hu), haj (hu), sajnos (hu), sajna (hu)
• Ido: ve (io)
• Irish: abhó, faraor
• Italian: ahimé, purtroppo (it)
• Japanese: ああ (ja) (ā), あたら (ja) (atara)
• Kannada: ಅಯ್ಯೋ (ayyō)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: ئاخ (ckb) (ax), ھاوار (hawar), ھەی ھاوار (hey hawar), داخاکەم (daxakem), ئەفسۆس (efsos)

  Northern Kurdish: mixabin (ku)

• Latin: eheu (la), heu, vae
• Māori: auē, taukuri
• Naga:

  Khiamniungan Naga: éishêu

• Norwegian: akk (no)
• Occitan: ailàs
• Old English: ēalā
• Persian: افسوس (fa) (afsus), آوخ (fa) (âvax), وای (fa) (vây)
• Polish: biada (pl)
• Portuguese: ai de mim, heu (pt), guai (pt)
• Romanian: vai (ro)
• Russian: увы́ (ru) (uvý), ах (ru) (ax)
• Scottish Gaelic: och, mo thruaighe, mo chreach, mo sgal
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: јо̑ј, ја̏о, ле̏ле, ку̏кӯ, (literary) а̀ва̄ј

  Latin: jȏj (sh), jȁo (sh), lȅle, kȕkū (sh), (literary) àvāj (sh)

• Slovak: bohužiaľ
• Spanish: ay (es), (pues) en fin, (pues) ni modo, pero bueno, ya ni modo, caballero nomás, así que nada (es)
• Sranan Tongo: ke, eru
• Swedish: ack (sv)
• Telugu: అయ్యో (te) (ayyō)
• Thai: อนิจจา (à-nít-jaa), โถ (th) (tǒo), โธ่ (th) (tôo), พิโธ่, พุทโธ่ (th), พุทถัง, อพิโถ, อพิโธ่, อพิโธ่อพิถัง, พุทโธ่พุทถัง, อพิโธ่พิถัง
• Tibetan: ཀྱེ (kye), ཀྱཻ (kyai), ཀྱེ་མ (kye ma), ཀྱི་ཧུད (kyi hud), ཀྱེ་མ་ཧུད (kye ma hud)
• Turkish: ah (tr), aman (tr), eyvah (tr)
• Welsh: och fi, gwae fi, druan ohonof

Etymology 2

An alas, filled by a lake, in Yakutia.

From Yakut алаас (alaas).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əˈlɑːs/, /əˈlæs/

Noun

alas (plural alases or alasses)

1. A type of geological depression formed by the subsidence of permafrost, sometimes (partially) filled by a lake.

   Alternative forms: alass, alaas

   • 1973, Arctic Bulletin, page 35:

     […] alasses probably exist south of the Yukon Flats. Another bus tour went to the east, and alasses and pingos were examined on the terraces.

   • 2007, Mary Chapman, The Geology of Mars: Evidence from Earth-Based Analogs, page 292:

     […] alasses. They are formed when a large quantity of ground ice thaws (up to 80% by volume) in permafrost. Alasses are characteristics of the thermal degradation stages of permafrost. Their subsequent thaw induces a lowering of the [terrain].

   • 2018, Colin K. Ballantyne, Periglacial Geomorphology, page 129:

     […] permafrost (yedoma), the large volume loss that accompanies the melt of excess ice to produce an alas is irreversible, and secondary thermokarst lakes developed in ice-rich epigenetic permafrost on the alas floor are likely to be much smaller and shallower than the original thermokarst lake.

   • 2019, Takeshi Ohta, Tetsuya Hiyama, Yoshihiro Iijima, Water-Carbon Dynamics in Eastern Siberia, page 195:

     […] permafrost underneath has been thawing, due to both the warming climate and shifting hydrological processes. The exact extent of change is highly dependent on the specific context of each alas's physical characteristics.

Translations

type of depression

• Finnish: suppa (fi)
• Polish: ałas (pl) m
• Russian: алас (ru) m (alas)
• Swedish: dödisgrop c, dödishåla c
• Yakut: алаас (alaas)

Anagrams

• AALS, ALSA, LAAS, Lasa, aals, sala

Aromanian

Alternative forms

• alasu, las, lasu

Etymology

From Latin laxō. Compare Romanian lăsa, las.

Verb

alas (participle alãsatã)

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

Conjugation

Conjugation of alas

long infinitive				alãsari, alãsare
gerund				alãsãnda
past participle				alãsatã
		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative	present	alas	alash	alasã	alãsãm, alãsãmu	alãsats, alãsatsã, alãsatsi	alasã
	imperfect	alãsam	alãsai	alãsa	alãsam	alãsats, alãsatsi	alãsa
	simple perfect	alãsai	alãsash, alãsashi	alãsã	alãsãm	alãsat	alãsarã
conditional	present	s-alãsarim	s-alãsari, s-alãsarishi	s-alãsare, s-alãsari	s-alãsarim	s-alãsarit	s-alãsare, s-alãsari
imperative	present	—	alasã	—	—	alãsats, alãsatsã, alãsatsi	—

The present subjunctive is the same as the indicative but preceded by s-.

Derived terms

• paralas
• alãsãtonj

Related terms

• alãsari / alãsare
• alãsat
• alãsãturã

Balinese

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *halas, from Proto-Austronesian *Salas. Cognate to Javanese ꦲꦭꦱ꧀ (alas, “forest”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /alas/
• Hyphenation: a‧las

Noun

alas (Balinese script ᬳᬮᬲ᭄)

1. (madia, kasar) forest

   Synonym: wana

Further reading

• “alas”, in Balinese–Indonesian Dictionary [Kamus Bahasa Bali–Indonesia] (in Balinese), Denpasar, Indonesia: The Linguistic Center of Bali Province [Balai Bahasa Provinsi Bali].

Cebuano

Etymology 1

Blend of a +‎ las. From Spanish a las.

Adverb

alas

1. o'clock

   Synonym: (for one o'clock) ala

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑlɑs/, [ˈɑ̝lɑ̝s̠]
• Rhymes: -ɑlɑs
• Syllabification^(key): a‧las
• Hyphenation^(key): alas

Etymology 1

From Proto-Finnic *alas. Equivalent to ala- (“lower, under”) +‎ -s (s-lative singular).

Adverb

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

1. down, downward, downwards

   Synonym: alhaalle

   Antonym: ylös

Inflection

Declension of ala- noun case singular plural adverbial 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 – –

Alternative forms

• alaha (dialectal)

Interjection

alas

1. down with [with nominative] (expressing disapproval of or encouraging actions against, typically in a public protest)

   Alas rikolliset! ― Down with the criminals!

Derived terms

• alaspäin

compounds

• alasajo
• alasampuminen
• alaskirjata
• alaskirjaus
• alaskvarkki
• alaslaskettava
• alaslaskettu
• alaslasku
• alaslyönti
• Alaspää
• alassuin
• Alastalo
• alastulo
• alasveto
• alasvetäjä
• ylösalainen
• ylösalaisin

Further reading

• “alas”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2 July 2023

Etymology 2

Verb

alas

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

Anagrams

• sala, sala-

Indonesian

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈalas/ [ˈa.las]
• Rhymes: -alas
• Syllabification: a‧las
• Homophone: Alas

Etymology 1

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

Noun

alas (plural alas-alas)

1. base, foundation

   Synonym: dasar

2. layer, lining, covering

   Synonym: lapis

3. (archaeology) a structure that becomes a support for other structures above it, such as a pedestal on a statue

Derived terms

Affixations

• alasan
• beralas
• beralasan
• beralaskan
• dialas
• mengalas
• mengalasi
• mengalaskan
• pengalas

Compounds

• alas baju
• alas baki
• alas bedak
• alas bedak cair
• alas bedak krim
• alas bedak padat
• alas bunga
• alas cawan
• alas dada
• alas dalam
• alas erosi
• alas gurun
• alas hak
• alas jerami
• alas kaki
• alas kata
• alas kepala
• alas kubur
• alas kue
• alas lantai
• alas leher
• alas liter
• alas main
• alas meja
• alas perut
• alas peti
• alas rel
• alas rumah
• alas selada
• alas sentuh
• alas seprai
• alas slat
• alas talkin
• alas tempat tidur
• alas tetikus
• alas tidur
• alas tilam

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Javanese alas (“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 alas (“forest”).

Noun

alas (plural alas-alas)

1. (chiefly dialectal) forest

   Synonyms: hutan, rimba

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Javanese [Term?].

Noun

alas (plural alas-alas)

1. (chiefly dialectal) rope on a small boat stabilizer

Etymology 4

From Tenggalan

Adjective

alas (comparative lebih alas, superlative paling alas)

1. coarse, sandy

Further reading

• “alas”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Ingrian

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /ˈɑlɑs/, [ˈɑɫɑˑz̠]
• (Soikkola) IPA^(key): /ˈɑlɑs/, [ˈɑɫɑˑʒ̥]
• (Hevaha) IPA^(key): /ˈɑlɑs/, [ˈɑɫɑˑʒ̥]
• Rhymes: -ɑlɑs
• Hyphenation: a‧las

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

• alaspäin
• alasvaahto
• alasvirta

Related terms

• See ala-

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

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈa.ɫaːs]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈaː.las]

Verb

alās

1. second-person singular present active subjunctive of alō

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈaː.ɫaːs]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈaː.las]

Noun

ālās

1. accusative plural of āla

References

• "alas", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)

Latvian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a.las/

Noun

alas f

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

Malay

Pronunciation

• (schwa-variety, /a/-variety, Literary Standard) IPA^(key): /ˈalas/ [ˈʔa.las]
• Rhymes: -las, -as
• Hyphenation: a‧las

Noun

alas (Jawi spelling الس, plural alas-alas or alas²)

1. base, framework, layer, pad, foundation

Derived terms

Affixations

• alasan (“reason; excuse; grounds”)

Compounds

• alas baju (“clothing lining; undergarment”)
• alas bantal (“pillowcase”)
• alas cawan (“coaster”)
• alas hukum (“legal basis”)
• alas kaki (“doormat”)
• alas kata (“foreword; preface”)
• alas kubur (“scapegoat”)
• alas meja (“tablecloth”)
• alas muatan
• alas perut (“light snack”)
• alas peti
• alas ternang
• alas tilam (“bedsheet”)

Descendants

• > Indonesian: alas (inherited)

Further reading

• "alas" in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu (PRPM) [Malay Literary Reference Centre (PRPM)] (in Malay), Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017
  (also see "alas" at PRPM first version)

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

Derived terms

• alas-alas
• alas-alasan
• aṅalas
• aṅalas-alas
• kālasan
• maṅalas-alas
• mākalasan
• mālas
• sālas
• tuhâlas

Descendants

• Javanese: ꦲꦭꦱ꧀ (alas)
  • → Indonesian: alas

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

Old Sundanese

Etymology

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

Noun

alas

1. wood, forest
2. (by extension) land, territory
   • (Can we date this quote?), Bujangga Manik:

     Sadatang ka tungtung Sunda, meuntasing di Cipamali, datang ka alas Jawa.

     When I've reached the limits of Sunda, I crossed the Pamali river, and came to the lands of Java.

Descendants

• > Sundanese: alas (inherited)

Perai

Noun

alas

1. forest

References

• Bryan D. Hinton, The languages of Wetar: recent survey results and word lists with notes on Tugun grammar (2000)

Portuguese

Noun

alas

1. plural of ala

Verb

alas

1. second-person singular present indicative of alar

Selaru

Noun

alas

1. dense forest

References

• Charles E. Grimes, Owen Edwards, The Austronesian languages of eastern Indonesia and Timor-Leste (2026), page 244

Seluwasan

Noun

alas

1. forest

References

• Charles E. Grimes, Owen Edwards, The Austronesian languages of eastern Indonesia and Timor-Leste (2026), page 244

Serbo-Croatian

Noun

àlās m inan (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/ [ˈa.las]

• Audio (Venezuela):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -alas
• Syllabification: a‧las

Noun

alas f pl

1. plural of ala

Sundanese

Etymology

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

Noun

alas (Sundanese spelling ᮃᮜᮞ᮪)

1. forest

   Synonym: leuweung

Tagalog

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Spanish al as.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ʔaˈlas/ [ʔɐˈlas]
• Rhymes: -as
• Syllabification: a‧las

Noun

alás (Baybayin spelling ᜀᜎᜐ᜔)

1. (card games) ace

   Synonym: eys

2. (figuratively, by extension) trump card

Derived terms

• alas na bastos
• alas na espada
• alas na kopas
• alas na oros

See also

Playing cards in Tagalog · baraha (layout · text)
alas	dos	tres	kuwatro	singko	seis	siyete
otso	nuwebe	diyes	sota	reyna, kabayo	hari	diyoker

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Spanish a las.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ʔaˈlas/ [ʔɐˈlas]
• Rhymes: -as
• Syllabification: a‧las

Adverb

alás (Baybayin spelling ᜀᜎᜐ᜔)

1. o'clock

   Synonym: (for one o' clock) ala

Usage notes

• Used except for one o' clock.

Related terms

• ala-una
• alarma
• alas-diyes
• alas-dos
• alas-dose
• alas-kuwatro
• alas-nuwebe
• alas-onse
• alas-otso
• alas-seis
• alas-singko
• alas-siyete
• alas-tres
• mabilis sa alas-kuwatro

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog)
  • IPA^(key): /ʔaˈlas/ [ʔɐˈlas] (adjective)
    • Rhymes: -as
  • IPA^(key): /ˈʔalas/ [ˈʔaː.lɐs] (noun)
    • Rhymes: -alas
• Syllabification: a‧las

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

• alasin

References

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

Anagrams

• laas, asal, alsa, sala, lasa

Tetum

Etymology

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

Noun

alas

1. forest

Derived terms

• alas-laran