n.
 literary  - great sorrow or distress.
 - 
(woes)
 troubles.
 
 
  Phrase
  
    - woe betide someone 
(or woe to someone)
 humorous a person will be in trouble if they do a specified thing.  - woe is me!
 humorous an exclamation of sorrow or distress. 
   
  Etymology
  natural exclamation of lament: recorded as wā in OE and found in several Gmc languages.