hélas

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

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

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hélas

1. alas; exclamatory or declarative conjunction expressing affliction, regret, deception or dissatisfaction.
   • 1837 Thomas Carlyle, The French Revolution: A History

     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."

• → Dutch: helaas

See héler.

• ^{(aspirated h)} IPA^(key): /e.la/

hélas

1. second-person singular past historic of héler

hélas m (plural hélas)

1. (Louisiana) noise

• hales, halés, hâles

• “hélas” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).