woo

Pronunciation

• IPA: /wuː/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English wowen, inherited from Old English wōgian (“to woo, court, marry”) (transitive āwōgian),^[2][3][4] of uncertain or unknown origin with no known cognates.^[3][5][4] It may be related to wōh (“bent, inclined”), as if inclining another toward oneself,^[3][2] and Merriam-Webster compares Latin voveō (“to vow”).^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

To court a woman: before 1050 in the OED and Barnhart; wooer is found earlier, about 1000.^[7][2] Middle English wowen is probably from before 1200, in the Ancrene Riwle.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Used of animals from 1398,^[7] and figuratively from the early 13th century.^[7] To seek to gain something, to solicit or invite, is from 1615,^[7] as in to woo voters.^[8][9]

Timeline

• c. 1000 – wooer.^[2]
• before 1050 – wōgian.^[7][2]
• before 1225 – figurative use.^[7]
• 1615 – to solicit, invite.^[7]

Modern meaning

Verb

1. To seek someone's love, especially with a view to marriage; to court.
2. To try to win the support of: woo voters.
3. To seek after something; to entreat or importune.

Word family

• wooer
• wooingly

Related words

• court

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
7. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
9. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins