*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Wu

Romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 吳 /吴 (Wú). Doublet of O.

7 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 7 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
name

A county of imperial and Republican China around Suzhou. · A commandery of imperial China around Suzhou. · The family of Chinese languages spoken in that region, including Shanghainese and Suzhounese, the second-most spoken family after Mandarin. · The kingdom ruled by the Ji family from Wuxi and then Suzhou during the Spring and Autumn period of China's Zhou dynasty.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 吳 /吴 (Wú). Doublet of O.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Derivation mention^吳zh
  • Doublet mentionOen

This page abbreviates 5 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Mandarin"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "zh",
        "3": "^吳"
      },
      "expansion": "Chinese 吳 /吴"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "O"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of O"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
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      "吳",
      "吳#Chinese"
    ],
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      "吴",
      "吴#Chinese"
    ],
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      "O",
      "O#English"
    ]
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        "A county of imperial and Republican China around Suzhou.",
        "A commandery of imperial China around Suzhou.",
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        "The kingdom ruled by the Ji family from Wuxi and then Suzhou during the Spring and Autumn period of China's Zhou dynasty."
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
name

A surname from Chinese. · An epithet of numerous kings and emperors in Chinese history who were honored with variants of the posthumous name Wuwang or Wudi.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 武 (Wǔ, “war, warrior, warlike”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Derivation mention^武zh · war, warrior, warlike
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    },
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "zh",
        "3": "^武",
        "t": "war, warrior, warlike"
      },
      "expansion": "Chinese 武 (Wǔ, “war, warrior, warlike”)"
    },
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      "name": "wp",
      "args": {
        "1": "Wu (surname)"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {
        "1": "The Wu Emperor"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {
        "1": "Cao Cao"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
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      "武",
      "武#Chinese"
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}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
name

A river in Guizhou, China, a tributary of the Yangtze. · A surname from Chinese.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 烏 /乌 (Wū or Wù, “crow, raven, black”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Derivation mention^烏zh · crow, raven, black
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    },
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "zh",
        "3": "^烏",
        "t": "crow, raven, black",
        "tr": "Wū or Wù"
      },
      "expansion": "Chinese 烏 /乌 (Wū or Wù, “crow, raven, black”)"
    },
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      "args": {
        "1": "Wu River"
      },
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    },
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    ],
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    ],
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      "black"
    ]
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Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗
name

A river in Hunan, China, a tributary of the Yuan. · A surname from Chinese.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 巫 (Wū or Wú, “shaman, sorceror, witch”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Derivation mention^巫zh · shaman, sorceror, witch
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    },
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      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "zh",
        "3": "^巫",
        "tr": "Wū or Wú",
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      },
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    },
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      "name": "wp",
      "args": {
        "1": "Wu River (巫水)"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
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    ],
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    ],
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      "witch",
      "witch"
    ]
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Source etymology 5

Original entry ↗
name

A river in Hunan, China, a tributary of the Yuan.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 㵲 (Wǔ).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Derivation mention^㵲zh
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    },
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      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "zh",
        "3": "^㵲",
        "tr": "Wǔ"
      },
      "expansion": "Chinese 㵲 (Wǔ)"
    },
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {
        "1": "Wu River (㵲水)"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
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    ]
  ],
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Source etymology 6

Original entry ↗
name

A surname from Chinese.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

The romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of various other Chinese surnames: 伍 (Wǔ), 仵 (Wǔ), 鄔／邬 (Wū).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "1": "en",
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    },
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      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "zh",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Chinese"
    },
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      "name": "zh-l",
      "args": {
        "1": "^伍"
      },
      "expansion": "伍 (Wǔ)"
    },
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      "name": "zh-l",
      "args": {
        "1": "^仵"
      },
      "expansion": "仵 (Wǔ)"
    },
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      "name": "zh-l",
      "args": {
        "1": "^鄔"
      },
      "expansion": "鄔／邬 (Wū)"
    },
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      "name": "wp",
      "args": {
        "1": "Wu (surname)"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
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      "仵",
      "仵#Chinese"
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      "鄔#Chinese"
    ],
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      "邬",
      "邬#Chinese"
    ]
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Source etymology 7

Original entry ↗
name

A surname from Chinese.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Cantonese 胡 (wu⁴). Doublet of Hu.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Doublet mentionHuen
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "1": "en",
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      },
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    },
    {
      "name": "zh-l",
      "args": {
        "1": "胡",
        "tr": "wu⁴"
      },
      "expansion": "胡 (wu⁴)"
    },
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    },
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      "expansion": ""
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Wu →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-V3U