Oy vey (Yiddish: ××± װײ), or just oy,[1] is an exclamation of dismay or exasperation [1] meaning "woe". The first part of it (oy) is originally from Biblical Hebrew, with cognates in other Semitic languages.[citation needed] It is possible that this Semitic family of words is somehow related to the constellation of Indo-European words represented in English by "Woe"[citation needed] — although such a relationship would have to be very old and may be just a coincidence. The term in its present form is borrowed from Yiddish,[2] and is often described as "defying translation"[3] or being an "untranslatable expression"[4] but which is described as being "used to express dismay, pain, annoyance, grief, etc."[1] and the Oxford English dictionary describes it as an "exclamation used by Yiddish-speakers to express dismay or grief".[3] In 2001, California State Assembly Speaker, Robert Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys), compiled a 31-page Yiddish dictionary for his colleagues and of the phrase "oy vey" he wrote that it was "an untranslatable expression used for a variety of negative feelings".[4] This interjection is first noted in English between 1890 and 1895.[1]
A related exclamation is oy vey iz mir – "Oh, woe is me" (Yiddish: ××± װײ'×– מיר) – or just vey iz mir (װײ'×– מיר). Another related expression is oy gevalt – "woe is me" (Yiddsh: ××± ×’×°×ַלד oy gvald) – which can have a similar meaning, or also express shock or amazement. Oy! is often just used by itself to express any of these feelings.
