Old English; earliest use found in Bede's Ecclesiastical History. In later use probably re-formed after either German Weltsorge or WeltschmerzWeltschmerz.
Definition of world sorrow in US English:
world sorrow
noun
Worldly care; an instance of this.
Origin
Old English; earliest use found in Bede's Ecclesiastical History. In later use probably re-formed after either German Weltsorge or Weltschmerz Weltschmerz.