Wiktionary

alas

See also: Appendix:Variations of "alas"

English

edit
WOTD – 24 September 2015

Etymology 1

edit

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

edit

Pronunciation

edit

Interjection

edit

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
edit
Translations
edit

Etymology 2

edit
 Alas (geography) on Wikipedia

From Yakut алаас (alaas).

Pronunciation

edit
  • IPA(key): /əˈlɑːs/, /əˈlæs/

Noun

edit

alas (plural alases or alasses)

  1. A type of geological depression which occurs in Yakutia, formed by the subsidence of permafrost.
    Alternative forms: alass, alaas
Translations
edit

Anagrams

edit

Aromanian

edit

Alternative forms

edit

Etymology

edit

From Latin laxō. Compare Romanian lăsa, las.

Verb

edit

alas first-singular present indicative (past participle alãsatã)

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

Derived terms

edit
edit

Balinese

edit

Romanization

edit

alas

  1. Romanization of ᬳᬮᬲ᭄.

Cebuano

edit

Etymology 1

edit

Blend of a +‎ las. From Spanish a las.

Adverb

edit

alas

  1. o'clock

Etymology 2

edit

From Spanish as.

Noun

edit

alas

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

Estonian

edit

Noun

edit

alas

  1. inessive singular of ala

Finnish

edit

Alternative forms

edit

Etymology

edit

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

Pronunciation

edit

Adverb

edit

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

  1. down, downward, downwards

Inflection

edit
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

edit

Antonyms

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

Interjection

edit

alas

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

Verb

edit

alas

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

Derived terms

edit
compounds

Further reading

edit

Anagrams

edit

Indonesian

edit

Pronunciation

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

Etymology 1

edit

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

Noun

edit

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

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

Etymology 2

edit

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

edit

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

  1. forest
    Synonyms: hutan, rimba, wana

Etymology 3

edit

From Javanese [Term?].

Noun

edit

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

  1. rope on a small boat balancer

Further reading

edit

Ingrian

edit

Etymology

edit

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

Pronunciation

edit

Adverb

edit

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

edit
edit

References

edit
  • 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

edit

Romanization

edit

alas

  1. Romanization of ꦲꦭꦱ꧀

Latin

edit

Etymology 1

edit

Pronunciation

edit

Noun

edit

ālās

  1. accusative plural of āla

Etymology 2

edit

Pronunciation

edit

Verb

edit

alās

  1. second-person singular present active subjunctive of alō

References

edit

Latvian

edit

Pronunciation

edit

Noun

edit

alas f

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

Malay

edit

Pronunciation

edit

Noun

edit

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

edit

Further reading

edit

Middle English

edit

Etymology

edit

from Old French a las.

Interjection

edit

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

edit
  • English: alas

Mirandese

edit

Noun

edit

alas

  1. plural of ala

Occitan

edit

Noun

edit

alas

  1. plural of ala

Old Javanese

edit

Etymology

edit

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

Noun

edit

alas

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

Descendants

edit

Further reading

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

Old Spanish

edit

Noun

edit

alas

  1. plural of ala

Old Sundanese

edit

Etymology

edit

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

Noun

edit

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

edit
  • > Sundanese: alas (inherited)

Portuguese

edit

Noun

edit

alas

  1. plural of ala

Verb

edit

alas

  1. second-person singular present indicative of alar

Serbo-Croatian

edit

Noun

edit

àlās m (Cyrillic spelling а̀ла̄с)

  1. alternative form of hàlās

Declension

edit
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

edit

Pronunciation

edit

Noun

edit

alas f pl

  1. plural of ala

Sundanese

edit

Etymology

edit

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

Noun

edit

alas or ᮃᮜᮞ᮪ • (alas)

  1. forest
    Synonym: leuweung

Tagalog

edit

Etymology 1

edit

Borrowed from Spanish al as.

Pronunciation

edit

Noun

edit

alás (Baybayin spelling ᜀᜎᜐ᜔)

  1. (card games) ace
    Synonym: eis
  2. (figuratively, by extension) trump card
Derived terms
edit
See also
edit
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

edit

Borrowed from Spanish a las.

Pronunciation

edit

Adverb

edit

alás (Baybayin spelling ᜀᜎᜐ᜔)

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

Etymology 3

edit

Pronunciation

edit

Adjective

edit

alás (Baybayin spelling ᜀᜎᜐ᜔)

  1. cut short and even

Noun

edit

alas (Baybayin spelling ᜀᜎᜐ᜔)

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

References

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

Anagrams

edit

Tetum

edit

Etymology

edit

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

Noun

edit

alas

  1. forest
Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=alas&oldid=82642204"