hoo

See also: Hoo, ноо, hóo, hōō, höö, and hoʻo

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /huː/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uː
• Homophone: who

Etymology 1

From Middle English hoo, shoo (“she”) from Old English hēo (“she”). More at she.

Pronoun

hoo (third-person singular, feminine, nominative case, accusative and possessive her, possessive hers, reflexive herself)

1. (South Lancashire, Yorkshire, Derbyshire) she
   • 1854, Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell, North and South, Chapter VIII:

     'Aye, aye,' said the father, impatiently, 'hoo'll come. Hoo's a bit set up now, because hoo thinks I might ha' spoken more civilly; but hoo'll think better on it, and come. I can read her proud bonny face like a book.

2. (West Midlands and South West England) he, also a gender-neutral third person pronoun

Derived terms

• hoo-justice
• hoo'll
• hoose
• hoost
• hoor

Etymology 2

From Middle English hoo, ho. More at ho.

Interjection

hoo

1. (obsolete) hurrah; an exclamation of triumphant joy
   • c. 1608–1609 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):

     Our enemy is banish'd! he is gone! Hoo! hoo!

   • c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):

     With, hoo! such bugs and goblins in my life

2. (Geordie) Used to attract the attention of others.

   "Hoo yee!"

3. An exclamation of pain.
   • 1950, Norman Lindsay, Dust or Polish?, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 98:

     Old Peter, summoned to assist at getting Mrs Dibble upstairs, made no pretence of commiseration for the sufferer. "Gone and done it again, have you?" he said with satisfaction. "About the best thing you could have done, the way it'll keep you out of the shop a bit longer," which so far revived Mrs Dibble that she exclaimed fiercely, "I don't want none of your cheek, Peter Bodfish and not a minute you'd stay in my shop if - Hoo! Ow! Me leg - "

Noun

hoo (plural hoos)

1. An uttering of the cry 'hoo'.
   • 1950, Norman Lindsay, Dust or Polish?, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 98:

     Improvising a stretcher from a cupboard door, they levered Mrs Dibble on to it and got her upstairs to "Hoos!" and "Ows!" of anguish, and laid her on the bed, where Rita administered another stiff dose of gin.

Related terms

• hoo-ee

Etymology 3

From Middle English howe, hu (“how”), from Old English hū (“how”). More at how.

Adverb

hoo (not comparable)

1. (Northumbria, Geordie) how

References

• Northumberland Words, English Dialect Society, R. Oliver Heslop, 1893–4
• Todd's Geordie Words and Phrases, George Todd, Newcastle, 1977[1]
• Scott Dobson, Dick Irwin “hoo”, in Newcastle 1970s: Durham & Tyneside Dialect Group‎^[2], archived from the original on 2024-09-05.

Etymology 4

From Middle English hough, hogh, ho, from Old English hōh. Doublet of hough.

Noun

hoo

1. (obsolete outside placenames) A strip of land; a peninsula; a spur or ridge.

See also

(multiword phrases containing "hoo"):

• boo hoo
• boo-hoo
• hoo boy
• hoo-boy
• hoo-ha
• hoo-haa
• hoo-hah
• hoo-har
• hoo hoo
• hoo-hoo
• hoo man
• hootie hoo
• woo hoo
• yoo-hoo
• yoo hoo

Anagrams

• OOH, oho, ooh

Arapaho

Noun

hoo

1. porcupine

Estonian

Noun

hoo

1. genitive singular of hoog

Finnish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhoː/, [ˈho̞ː]
• Rhymes: -oː
• Hyphenation^(key): hoo

Etymology 1

Possibly from Swedish hå.

Interjection

hoo (dated)

1. eek (displaying shock and surprise)

Etymology 2

From Swedish hå, ultimately from Latin hā with raising of /aː/ to /oː/.

Noun

hoo

1. aitch (The name of the Latin-script letter H/h)

Usage notes

• Speakers often use the expression h-kirjain (“letter h”) instead of inflecting this word, especially in the plural.

Declension

Inflection of hoo (Kotus type 18/maa, no gradation)
nominative		hoo	hoot
genitive		hoon	hoiden hoitten
partitive		hoota	hoita
illative		hoohon	hoihin
		singular	plural
nominative		hoo	hoot
accusative	nom.	hoo	hoot
	gen.	hoon
genitive		hoon	hoiden hoitten
partitive		hoota	hoita
inessive		hoossa	hoissa
elative		hoosta	hoista
illative		hoohon	hoihin
adessive		hoolla	hoilla
ablative		hoolta	hoilta
allative		hoolle	hoille
essive		hoona	hoina
translative		hooksi	hoiksi
abessive		hootta	hoitta
instructive		—	hoin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of hoo (Kotus type 18/maa, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative hooni hooni accusative nom. hooni hooni gen. hooni genitive hooni hoideni hoitteni partitive hootani hoitani inessive hoossani hoissani elative hoostani hoistani illative hoohoni hoihini adessive hoollani hoillani ablative hooltani hoiltani allative hoolleni hoilleni essive hoonani hoinani translative hookseni hoikseni abessive hoottani hoittani instructive — — comitative — hoineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative hoosi hoosi accusative nom. hoosi hoosi gen. hoosi genitive hoosi hoidesi hoittesi partitive hootasi hoitasi inessive hoossasi hoissasi elative hoostasi hoistasi illative hoohosi hoihisi adessive hoollasi hoillasi ablative hooltasi hoiltasi allative hoollesi hoillesi essive hoonasi hoinasi translative hooksesi hoiksesi abessive hoottasi hoittasi instructive — — comitative — hoinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative hoomme hoomme accusative nom. hoomme hoomme gen. hoomme genitive hoomme hoidemme hoittemme partitive hootamme hoitamme inessive hoossamme hoissamme elative hoostamme hoistamme illative hoohomme hoihimme adessive hoollamme hoillamme ablative hooltamme hoiltamme allative hoollemme hoillemme essive hoonamme hoinamme translative hooksemme hoiksemme abessive hoottamme hoittamme instructive — — comitative — hoinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative hoonne hoonne accusative nom. hoonne hoonne gen. hoonne genitive hoonne hoidenne hoittenne partitive hootanne hoitanne inessive hoossanne hoissanne elative hoostanne hoistanne illative hoohonne hoihinne adessive hoollanne hoillanne ablative hooltanne hoiltanne allative hoollenne hoillenne essive hoonanne hoinanne translative hooksenne hoiksenne abessive hoottanne hoittanne instructive — — comitative — hoinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative hoonsa hoonsa accusative nom. hoonsa hoonsa gen. hoonsa genitive hoonsa hoidensa hoittensa partitive hootaan hootansa hoitaan hoitansa inessive hoossaan hoossansa hoissaan hoissansa elative hoostaan hoostansa hoistaan hoistansa illative hoohonsa hoihinsa adessive hoollaan hoollansa hoillaan hoillansa ablative hooltaan hooltansa hoiltaan hoiltansa allative hoolleen hoollensa hoilleen hoillensa essive hoonaan hoonansa hoinaan hoinansa translative hookseen hooksensa hoikseen hoiksensa abessive hoottaan hoottansa hoittaan hoittansa instructive — — comitative — hoineen hoinensa

Synonyms

• h-kirjain

Derived terms

• hoomoilasena

Anagrams

• oho

Middle English

Etymology 1

Pronoun

hoo

1. Alternative form of who (“who”, nominative)

Etymology 2

Noun

hoo

1. Alternative form of hough (“hough, hock”)

Nǀuu

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɦoo/

Verb

hoo

1. to come from

   Kidyaxe a hoo nǁaa?

   where do you come from?

   Sa hoo ng ǀxʼe.

   We come from Upington. (lit. We come from liver)

2. to get
3. to find

   kua si hoo ku ainki ng gǃari

   He will find his father in Upington

4. to meet

   ǂoo ke si hoo ǃʼoakerasi.

   The man must meet the girl.

References

• Shah, S. & Brenzinger, M. (2016). Ouma Geelmeid ke kx’u ǁxaǁxa Nǀuu. Cape Town: CALDi, University of Cape Town.
• Sands, Bonny & Jones, Kerry & Esau, Katrina & Collins, Chris & Witzlack-Makarevich, Alena & Job, Sylvanus & Miller, Amanda & Steyn, Betta & Zaanen, Menno & Namaseb, Levi & Berg, Dietloff & Mantzel, Dotty & Damarah, Willem & Snyman, Claudia & Wyk, David & Brugman, Johanna & Exter, Mats & Vaalbooi, Antjie & Westhuizen, Mietjie. (2022). Nǀuuki Namagowab Afrikaans English ǂXoakiǂxanisi/Mîdi di ǂKhanis/Woordeboek/Dictionary.
• Güldemann, Tom and Ernszt, Martina and Siegmund, Sven and Witzlack-Makarevich, Alena. 2010.0. A Text documentation of Nǀuu.
• Collins, Chris, 'The Linker in the Khoisan Languages', in Jason Kandybowicz, and Harold Torrence (eds), Africa's Endangered Languages: Documentary and Theoretical Approaches (New York, 2017; online edn, Oxford Academic, 24 Aug. 2017), https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190256340.003.0011, accessed 5 Feb. 2025.

Scots

Etymology

See also foo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /huː/

Adverb

hoo (not comparable)

1. how
2. why

References

• “hoo, adv.”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC.