Etymologically
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woo

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Pronunciation

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

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