Where Did Woebegone Come from?
The Word Derives from the Middle English Phrase Wo Begon. the Wo in This Phrase Simply Means "Woe," but Begon (Deriving from Old English Began) Is a Past...
The word derives from the Middle English phrase wo begon. The wo in this phrase simply means "woe," but begon (deriving from Old English began) is a past participle meaning "beset." Someone who is woebegone, therefore, is beset with woe.
What is woe be gone?
Woe´-be`gone` a. 1. Beset or overwhelmed with woe; immersed in grief or sorrow; woeful. So woe-begone was he with pains of love.
Where does the saying woe betide come from?
From Early Modern English woe (“great sadness or distress; calamity, trouble”) + betide (“to happen to, befall”), formerly used to decry a person's actions. Grammatically, it is a term the verb of which is in the subjunctive mood.
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