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ho

Etymology and origin of the English word ho

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English has two words spelled ho: the old exclamation, and a modern slang word for a prostitute.[1][2]

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /həʊ/ (UK); /hoʊ/, /hoʔ/ (US)[3]

ho1 exclamation

Confidence
Established
Formation
Onomatopoeia
First attested
before 1300

Etymology

The exclamation is Middle English ho, a natural cry,[1][2] partly from Old Norse hó or Old French ho (“halt!”).[4][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

An exclamation of surprise, admiration or triumph: before 1300 in the OED, about 1300 in Etymonline.[5][1] Repeated as ho-ho-ho, for laughter, it is recorded from the mid-12th century.[1]

Semantic evolution

As a call to attract attention or demand silence it is from the late 14th century.[1][5] After the name of a place, as in Westward ho!, it was a cry of boatmen announcing a destination, from the 1590s.[1][5] It is also a call to animals (1878).[5] In dialect, as a noun, no ho, no stopping, no moderation.[6]

Timeline

  • mid-12th century – ho-ho-ho, laughter.[1]
  • before 1300 – an exclamation of surprise.[5]
  • late 14th century – a call for attention.[1]
  • 1590s – westward ho![1]

Modern meaning

Interjection

  1. Used to attract attention, or after a place name to announce a destination: land ho!.
  2. Used to express surprise, triumph or amusement.

ho2 prostitute (slang)

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1965

Etymology

The slang word is an alteration of whore,[2] representing an African-American pronunciation.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

1965 in MWU;[2] Etymonline has it by 1993 in American English.[1]

Semantic evolution

It is used, often offensively, of any woman thought promiscuous.[7][8]

Timeline

  • 1965 – ho, a prostitute.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. (US slang, offensive) A prostitute, or a woman regarded as promiscuous.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  2. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  3. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  4. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)
  7. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  8. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
Cite this entry

“Ho.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/ho. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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