well·a·way (w?l??-w??) Archaic interj. Used to express woe or distress.n. pl. well·a·ways A lamentation.[Middle English, alteration (influenced by well, well awai, away) of Old English weil?wei, alteration (influenced by Old Scandinavian *wei, woe) of w? l? w? : w?, woe; see woe + l?, lo; see lo.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.wellaway (?w?l??we?) or wellawaysinterjarchaic woe! alas![Old English, from wei l? wei, variant of w? l? w?, literally: woe! lo woe]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014well?a?way (?w?l ??we?) also well?a?day (-?de?) interj. Archaic. (used to express sorrow.) [before 900; Middle English we(i)lawei, Old English weil?wei (wei