ooh

See also: OOH, ООН, and ööh

English

WOTD – 3 July 2008

Alternative forms

• oooh, ooooh

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /uː/

• Audio (GA)

  (file)

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uː

Interjection

ooh (with as many 'o's as needed to express the length of the utterance)

1. An expression of surprise.
2. An expression of awe.
3. A sound made to imitate a ghost.
4. An expression of affection.
5. An expression of pain.
6. An expression of interest or anticipation.

   Ooh, that looks delicious!

7. An expression of excitement or enthusiastic interest.

   Ooh, I love that book!

Derived terms

• ooh-wee

Translations

expressing surprise

• Finnish: oho (fi), oo (fi), ooh (fi)
• Latin: hui
• Polish: u (pl)
• Swedish: oj (sv)
• Welsh: w

expressing awe

• Esperanto: hu (eo)
• Finnish: oho (fi), oo (fi), ooh (fi)
• Latin: hui
• Spanish: uy (es)
• Swedish: åh (sv)
• Welsh: w

imitating ghost

• Esperanto: buu
• Finnish: huu (fi), böö (fi)
• Swedish: buu, böö
• Turkish: böö

expressing affection

• Finnish: ooh (fi), oo (fi)
• Turkish: oy (tr), oo (tr)

Noun

ooh (plural oohs)

1. An exclamation of ooh.
   • 2013, Tom Turpin, Modern Custom Guns: Walnut, Steel, and Uncommon Artistry, 2nd edition, Iola, Wis.: Gun Digest Books, →ISBN, page 47:

     The most underrated component in building a custom gun is the metalsmithing. Stock work immediately attracts attention. Fancy checkering patterns, meticulously executed, are sure to elicit oohs and ahhs.

Verb

ooh (third-person singular simple present oohs, present participle oohing, simple past and past participle oohed)

1. To exclaim ooh.
   • 2010, Kieran Kramer, chapter 7, in When Harry Met Molly, St. Martin’s Paperbacks, →ISBN, page 66:

     In the next few minutes, Molly tossed dress after dress aside, oohing and aahing at the varied fabrics, the elaborate detailing of each one, until she found a dress that was— / Breathtaking.

See also

• oh
• ooh la la

Anagrams

• Hoo, hoo, oho

Manx

Etymology

From Old Irish og, from Proto-Celtic *āuyom, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ōwyóm.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /au/, /uː/

Noun

ooh m (genitive singular oohey, plural oohyn)

1. egg

Derived terms

• ooh-chirkey