# hoo
## English
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /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)
* (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.
* (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
* (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
* (Geordie) Used to attract the attention of others.
    "Hoo yee!"
* 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)
* 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)
* (Northumbria, Geordie) how

#### References

* Northumberland Words, English Dialect Society, R. Oliver Heslop, 1893–4
* Todd's Geordie Words and Phrases, George Todd, Newcastle, 1977
* Scott Dobson, Dick Irwin “hoo”, in Newcastle 1970s: Durham & Tyneside Dialect Group‎, 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
* (obsolete outside placenames) A strip of land; a peninsula; a spur or ridge.

### See also

* 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
* porcupine

## Estonian
### Noun

hoo
* genitive singular of hoog

## Finnish
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈhoː/, [ˈho̞ː]
* Rhymes: -oː
* Hyphenation: hoo

### Etymology 1

Possibly from Swedish hå.

#### Interjection

hoo (dated)
* eek (displaying shock and surprise)

### Etymology 2

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

#### Noun

hoo
* 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

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
* Alternative form of who (“who”, nominative)

### Etymology 2
#### Noun

hoo
* Alternative form of hough (“hough, hock”)

## Nǀuu
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ɦoo/

### Verb

hoo
* 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)
* to get
* to find
    kua si hoo ku ainki ng gǃariHe will find his father in Upington
* 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: /huː/

### Adverb

hoo (not comparable)
* how
* why

### References

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