DictionaryRoot: ah
Middle English
ah
cry of distress
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interjection
alack
uh-LAK/əˈlæk/
An old-fashioned cry of sorrow or regret.
Etymology
On Skeat’s account, this joins ah to lack in its older sense of loss, failure, or shame. Originally an expression of dissatisfaction, alack later became a cry of regret or unpleasant surprise.