hélas

See also: helas and helás

French

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old French elas, variant of a las, from a (“ah”) + las, from Latin lassus (“weary”).

Pronunciation

• ^{(aspirated or mute h)} IPA^(key): /e.las/
• (Louisiana) IPA^(key): /e.la/, /e.lɑ/

• Audio:

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Interjection

hélas

1. alas; exclamatory or declarative conjunction expressing affliction, regret, disappointment.
   • 1837, Thomas Carlyle, The French Revolution: A History […], volumes (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Chapman and Hall, →OCLC, (please specify the book or page number):

     Tough Abbé Maury, when the obscure country Royalist grasps his hand with transport of thanks, answers, rolling his indomitable brazen head: "Hélas, Monsieur, all that I do here is as good as simply nothing."

Derived terms

• hélas non

Descendants

• → Dutch: helaas

Etymology 2

See héler.

Pronunciation

• ^{(aspirated h)} IPA^(key): /e.la/

Verb

hélas

1. second-person singular past historic of héler

Noun

hélas m (plural hélas)

1. (Louisiana) noise

   Synonym: bruit m

Further reading

• “hélas”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• hales, halés, hâles