What is "alas"

Alas \A*las"\, interj. [OE. alas, allas, OF. alas, F. h['e]las; a interj. (L. ah.) + las wretched (that I am), L. lassus weary, akin to E. late. See Late.] An exclamation expressive of sorrow, pity, or apprehension of evil; -- in old writers, sometimes followed by day or white; alas the day, like alack a day, or alas the white.

mid-13c., from Old French ha, las (later French hélas), from ha "ah" + las "unfortunate," originally "tired, weary," from Latin lassus "weary" (see late). At first an expression of weariness rather than woe.

Etymology 1 interj. Used to express sorrow, regret, compassion or grief. Etymology 2

n. a type of (l en depression) which occurs in (l en Yakutia), formed by the (l en subsidence) of (l en permafrost)

adv. by bad luck; "unfortunately it rained all day"; "alas, I cannot stay" [syn: unfortunately, unluckily, regrettably] [ant: fortunately, fortunately]

Alas may refer to:

• Alas (surname)
• Alas, Iran, a village in North Khorasan Province, Iran
• an interjection used to express regret, sorrow, or grief
• in geomorphology, a steep-sided depression formed by the melting of ice; it may contain a lake
• in zoology, a wing or winglike body part
• Alas (subdistrict), a subdistrict of the district Manufahi in East Timor
• Alas people, an ethnic group in Aceh, Indonesia
• Alas River, a river of Aceh, Indonesia
• Alas!, a work of literature by Rhoda Broughton
• AlAs, aluminium arsenide
• Alas (band), progressive metal band from USA
• ALAS (band), a mid-1970s Argentine progressive rock band
• Artificial Limb & Appliance Service
• ALAS Foundation (Fundacion América Latina en Acción Solidaria), Movement dedicated to poor children in Latin America
• Alas Chiricanas, a Panamanian airline
• Alaska
• The ALAS missile, a Serbian long-range ground attack missile
• 5-aminolevulinate synthase is an enzyme expressed in eukaryotes. Its two forms are ALAS1 and ALAS2.

Alas are an operatic progressive metal band from Tampa, Florida, U.S.A.

ALAS (Advanced Light Attack System, ) is a Serbian long-range multipurpose wire guided missile system developed by the private company EdePro, which operates under the direction of the state-owned Yugoimport SDPR. The ALAS missile system was developed primarily for missions against tanks, armored vehicles, fortifications, command posts, low-flying helicopters, coastal ships, industrial facilities and bridges. It can be deployed by any suitable platform including helicopters, armored vehicles, small ships and infantry. The guidance system is based on video/ infrared technology, with the missile connected to the launcher by a fiber-optic cable. The ALAS flies at low altitude and has small radar and infrared (heat) signatures due to using a turbofan motor instead of a turbojet. In recent years, the ALAS platform has found a secondary use as a UAV.

Alas (East Timor) is a town in Alas Subdistrict. It is located in the interior of the island, 294 metres above sea level. As the crow flies, Alas is 56 km southeast of the state capital Dili und 7 km to the East of Same. Alas lies to the North of the Suco of Mahaquidan (Malaquidan, Malagidan), and the Alas suburbs of Uma Mean (Umanican, Umamean) and Beremanek are located in Mahaquidan. The suburbs of Lurin und Ailora are in the suco of Taitudac (Taitudak, Taitudac, Taitudal). It is located in the interior of the island, 294 metres above sea level. As the crow flies, Alas is 56 km southeast of the state capital Dili und 7 km to the East of Same. Alas lies to the North of the Suco of Mahaquidan (Malaquidan, Malagidan), and the Alas suburbs of Uma Mean (Umanican, Umamean) and Beremanek are located in Mahaquidan. The suburbs of Lurin und Ailora are in the suco of Taitudac (Taitudak, Taitudac, Taitudal). There is a medical station and a helicopter in Alas, as well as a primary school (Escola primaria Alas Vila) and a pre-secondary school.

Alas is a shallow depression which occurs primarily in Yakutia, which is formed by subsidence of the Arctic permafrost due to repeated melting and refreezing. An alas first develops as a shallow lake as melt water fills the depression. The lake eventually dries out and is replaced by grasses and other herbaceous vegetation.

An alas is different from thermokarst depressions found elsewhere in the Arctic in that the lake is only temporary. Due to the aridity of Yakutia, the lake will dry up once the underlying ice has been depleted.

Alases are often used for pasturage for horses as well as hay-fields.

Alas is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:

• Dennis Alas (born 1985), Salvadoran footballer
• Jaime Alas (born 1989), Salvadoran footballer
• José Inocencio Alas (born 1934), Salvadoran Roman Catholic priest
• Juan Carlos Alas (born 1989), Salvadoran footballer
• Junjun Alas (born 1989), Filipino basketball player
• Kevin Alas (born 1991), Filipino basketball player
• Leopoldo Alas (1852–1901), Spanish writer
• Louie Alas (born 1963), Filipino basketball coach
• Urmas Alas (born 1956), Estonian writer