ho English · revision 6416
16 Oct 2026, 08:32 by bogdan “en10k b0270: twist … imagination” current version
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+ English has two words spelled ho: the old exclamation, and a modern slang word for a prostitute.^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024)
+
+ ==Pronunciation==
+ * IPA: /həʊ/ ''(UK)''; /hoʊ/, /hoʔ/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)
+
+ {{homograph|1|exclamation}}
+
+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=onomatopoeia|attested=before 1300}}
+
+ ==Etymology==
+ The exclamation is Middle English ho, a natural cry,^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) partly from [[non|hó]] or Old French [[m|fro|ho|t=halt!]].^(Hoad 1986)^(MWU 2024)
+
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ An exclamation of surprise, admiration or triumph: before 1300 in the OED, about 1300 in Etymonline.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline) Repeated as ''ho-ho-ho'', for laughter, it is recorded from the mid-12th century.^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ As a call to attract attention or demand silence it is from the late 14th century.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) After the name of a place, as in ''Westward ho!'', it was a cry of boatmen announcing a destination, from the 1590s.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) It is also a call to animals (1878).^(OED 1989) In dialect, as a noun, ''no ho'', no stopping, no moderation.^(Wright 1898)
+
+ ==Timeline==
+ * mid-12th century – ho-ho-ho, laughter.^(Etymonline)
+ * before 1300 – an exclamation of surprise.^(OED 1989)
+ * late 14th century – a call for attention.^(Etymonline)
+ * 1590s – westward ho!^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Modern meaning==
+ ===Interjection===
+ # Used to attract attention, or after a place name to announce a destination: ''land ho!''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)
+ # Used to express surprise, triumph or amusement.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)
+
+ {{homograph|2|prostitute (slang)}}
+
+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=1965}}
+
+ ==Etymology==
+ The slang word is an alteration of [[whore]],^(MWU 2024) representing an African-American pronunciation.^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ 1965 in MWU;^(MWU 2024) Etymonline has it by 1993 in American English.^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ It is used, often offensively, of any woman thought promiscuous.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)
+
+ ==Timeline==
+ * 1965 – ho, a prostitute.^(MWU 2024)
+
+ ==Modern meaning==
+ ===Noun===
+ # ''(US slang, offensive)'' A [[prostitute]], or a woman regarded as promiscuous.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)
+
+ ==Related words==
+ * [[whoa]]
+ * [[hey]]
+ * [[whore]]
+
+ ==References==
+ {{reflist}}