Word of the day: alas
According to the team behind the BBC TV show QI, the word alas has become a staple during recent parliamentary debate, having been used more than 80 times in the House of Commons in November 2020, more than any other month since 1800.
According to this piece in the “Guardian” newspaper, we can thank Prime Minister Boris Johnson for this suddenly common use of a most uncommon word.
So, where did the word come from? It’s most frequently thought of in the context of Shakespeare’s plays, but it goes back to 13th century Old French and then much further back to Latin (lassus means weary).