569: alas, lassitude, and lazy Jun 29, 2016
Alas, due to lassitude, I am too lazy to keep going with working.
Of course don't worry, that was a joke; Word Facts will continue on indefinitely. 'Alas', opposite to many other exclamations that incite action, comes from the cry "a' (ah) las" from the Anglo-French word meaning 'weary'. Ultimately 'las' is derived from the Latin, 'lassus' which is also the origin of 'lassitude'. That word, however, is more formal than its related synonym, 'lazy', which is newer to English, but is more colloquial as tends to be the case for words that come from Germanic origins.
Of course don't worry, that was a joke; Word Facts will continue on indefinitely. 'Alas', opposite to many other exclamations that incite action, comes from the cry "a' (ah) las" from the Anglo-French word meaning 'weary'. Ultimately 'las' is derived from the Latin, 'lassus' which is also the origin of 'lassitude'. That word, however, is more formal than its related synonym, 'lazy', which is newer to English, but is more colloquial as tends to be the case for words that come from Germanic origins.