*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of aiyo

Mainly borrowed from Tamil ஐயோ (aiyō) and Sinhalese අයියෝ (ayiyō). Common in Dravidian languages; compare Telugu అయ్యో (ayyō), Kannada ಅಯ್ಯೋ (ayyō), Malayalam അയ്യോ (ayyō), Tulu ಅಯ್ಯೋ (ayyō), Kurux अयो (ayo). Alternative

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
intj

Expressing distress, regret, or fear.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Mainly borrowed from Tamil ஐயோ (aiyō) and Sinhalese අයියෝ (ayiyō). Common in Dravidian languages; compare Telugu అయ్యో (ayyō), Kannada ಅಯ್ಯೋ (ayyō), Malayalam അയ്യോ (ayyō), Tulu ಅಯ್ಯೋ (ayyō), Kurux अयो (ayo). Alternatively from Chinese 哎喲 /哎哟 (āiyō) in Malaysia and Singapore.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ta",
        "3": "ஐயோ"
      },
      "expansion": "Tamil ஐயோ (aiyō)"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "si",
        "3": "අයියෝ",
        "tr": "ayiyō"
      },
      "expansion": "Sinhalese අයියෝ (ayiyō)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "te",
        "2": "అయ్యో"
      },
      "expansion": "Telugu అయ్యో (ayyō)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "kn",
        "2": "ಅಯ್ಯೋ"
      },
      "expansion": "Kannada ಅಯ್ಯೋ (ayyō)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ml",
        "2": "അയ്യോ"
      },
      "expansion": "Malayalam അയ്യോ (ayyō)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "tcy",
        "2": "ಅಯ್ಯೋ"
      },
      "expansion": "Tulu ಅಯ್ಯೋ (ayyō)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "kru",
        "2": "अयो"
      },
      "expansion": "Kurux अयो (ayo)"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "zh",
        "3": "哎喲",
        "tr": "āiyō"
      },
      "expansion": "Chinese 哎喲 /哎哟 (āiyō)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "ஐயோ",
      "ஐயோ#Tamil"
    ],
    [
      "අයියෝ",
      "අයියෝ#Sinhalese"
    ],
    [
      "అయ్యో",
      "అయ్యో#Telugu"
    ],
    [
      "ಅಯ್ಯೋ",
      "ಅಯ್ಯೋ#Kannada"
    ],
    [
      "അയ്യോ",
      "അയ്യോ#Malayalam"
    ],
    [
      "ಅಯ್ಯೋ",
      "ಅಯ್ಯೋ#Tulu"
    ],
    [
      "अयो",
      "अयो#Kurux"
    ],
    [
      "哎喲",
      "哎喲#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "哎哟",
      "哎哟#Chinese"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "intj",
      "glosses": [
        "Expressing distress, regret, or fear."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "China",
        "India",
        "Malaysia",
        "Singapore",
        "South",
        "Sri-Lanka",
        "informal"
      ],
      "recordId": "44a1b5fcf0a86784fd21693109a45c92dc0f607c0ff14589a9bf4b045b279bb7",
      "rawRecordSha256": "0654c71a4059faba3af0c4202608ba05dde8cd05a3bcefccb7de0762da5d51d6",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 6812178
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for aiyo →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-YWl5bw