wow

Pronunciation

• IPA: /waʊ/^[1]

Etymology

It is a natural exclamation,^[2][3] first recorded in Scots;^[4][3] Barnhart and Merriam-Webster call it imitative.^[5][6] The noun and the verb are from the interjection.^[5][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

An exclamation of surprise, admiration, aversion or sorrow: 1513,^[7][6] in Scots;^[4][8] Barnhart dates it before 1500.^[5]

Semantic evolution

In Scots wow could express aversion or sorrow as well as admiration,^[7][2] and the Scots and northern English dialects used it in phrases such as dear wow.^[9] It came into general use, chiefly for astonishment or admiration, by 1892.^[7] The interjection had new popularity in the early 1900s and again from the 1960s.^[4] In American slang the noun, “a sensational success”, is from 1920,^[5][4][7] and the verb, “to overwhelm with delight”, from 1924, in Variety.^[4][5]

Timeline

• 1513 – Scots exclamation.^[7][6]
• 1892 – in general use.^[7]
• 1920 – noun, a sensational success.^[5][7]
• 1921 – adjective, exciting admiration.^[7]
• 1924 – verb, to impress greatly.^[5][7]

Modern meaning

Interjection

1. Used to express wonder, amazement or great pleasure.

Noun

1. (slang) An outstanding success.

Verb

1. (slang) To impress or delight greatly, especially an audience.

Related words

• whoa

Usage notes

A separate, imitative wow means a dog's bark or a cat's wail, from the late 18th century,^[2][7] and in sound recording a slow fluctuation in pitch, from 1932.^[7][6] In Scots there was also a verb wow, “to wave, beckon”.^[9]

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
6. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
9. ^ a b 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)