woo

See also: Woo

English

Pronunciation

  • enPR: wo͞o, IPA(key): /wuː/
  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Rhymes: -uː

Etymology 1

From Middle English wowen, woȝen, from wōgian (“to woo, court, marry”), of uncertain origin. Cognate with Scots wow (“to woo”). Perhaps related to Old English wōg, wōh (“bending, crookedness”), in the specific sense of "bend or incline (some)one toward oneself". If so, then derived from Proto-Germanic *wanhō (“a bend, angle”), from Proto-Indo-European *wonk- (“crooked, bent”), from Proto-Indo-European *wā- (“to bend, twist, turn”); related to Old Norse vá (“corner, angle”).

Alternative forms

Verb

woo (third-person singular simple present woos, present participle wooing, simple past and past participle wooed)

  1. (transitive) To endeavor to gain someone's support.
  2. (transitive) (often of a man) To try to persuade someone to marry oneself; to solicit in love.
    • Prior
      Each, like the Grecian artist, wooes / The image he himself has wrought.
  3. To court solicitously; to invite with importunity.
    • Milton
      Thee, chantress, oft the woods among / I woo, to hear thy even song.
    • Bryant
      I woo the wind / That still delays his coming.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 2

Interjection

woo

  1. (slang) Expressing joy or mirth; woohoo, yahoo.
    "I got you a new cell phone." "Woo, that's great!"

Etymology 3

Adjective

woo (comparative more woo, superlative most woo)

  1. Alternative form of woo woo

Noun

woo

  1. Alternative form of woo woo

Anagrams

Middle English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Old English wā, wēa.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /wɔː/
  • Rhymes: -ɔː

Noun

woo (plural woos)

  1. torment; anguish

Synonyms

Descendants

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