int.; also 4– allas, 4 alaas, allaas. Sc. 4–7 allace, alace. Aphet. 6–7 ’las, lass. [a. OFr. ha las, a las (mod. Fr. hé-las), f. ha! = AH! + las, lasse wretched, orig. ‘weary’:—L. lassum weary. Cf. Pr. ai las; It. ahi lasso. In these languages the adj. took the gender of the speaker, las, lasso; lasse, lassa. The later Fr. form helas! is occas. found in Eng.; also in 16th c. an aphetic ’las!] An exclamation expressive of unhappiness, grief, sorrow, pity or concern. Occ. with dat. obj., or with for.
c. 1260. Signs bef. Judg., in E. E. Poems (1862), 10. Alas louerd wat sul we tak we þat abbiþ sin i-wroȝt.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Sqrs. T., 491. That I was bred, allas that harde day.
c. 1394. P. Pl. Crede, 754. Alaas! þat lordes of þe londe · leueþ swiche wrechen.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, XXIV. 9716. Hit happis vs suche harmes to haue now, alace.
c. 1525. Skelton, Col. Cloute, 1022. Helas! I say, helas! How may this come to passe?
a. 1593. Marlowe, Jew of Malta, IV. iii. 314. ’Las, I could weep at your calamity!
1604. Shaks., Oth., IV. ii. 42. Alas the heauy day: why do you weepe?
1667. Milton, P. L., X. 461. Alas, both for the deed and for the cause!
1842. J. H. Newman, Par. Serm., VI. iii. 32. Alas for our easy sensual life.
1870. Morris, Earthly Par., I. I. 36. Alas, the happy day! the foolish day! Alas! the sweet time, too soon passed away!
