Serious troubles, sorrows, or problems that cause unhappiness or difficulty.
From Old English 'wa' meaning sorrow or distress, related to Germanic roots expressing pain and lamentation. The plural form 'woes' emphasizes multiple troubles or extended suffering.
The word 'woe' appears constantly in Shakespeare and the Bible to describe deep human suffering, but today we use it playfully in phrases like 'woe is me!'—showing how language lets us discuss tragedy with varying levels of seriousness.
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