oy vey

interjection \ ˈȯi-ˈvā \

variants: or less commonly oy vay or oy veh

Definition of oy vey

—used to express dismay, frustration, or grief

Mail! Oy veh, I get such mail. Such mail as I never dreamed of before the advent of the Internet.
—Anne Bendheim

Origin and Etymology of oy vey

borrowed from Yiddish, from oy, interjection expressing surprise or dismay + vey, interjection expressing distress or grief, going back to Middle High German wē, going back to Old High German wah, wē, going back to Germanic *wai (whence Old English wā) — more at ¹woe

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1914

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year