English word origin

Etymology of oof

Onomatopoeic, compare Dutch oef and German uff.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 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 ↗

noun

A sound made in pain, as when expelling air after being struck. · Something cringeworthy, or which arouses disappointment; often used in conjunction with the qualifier big.

intj

A sound mimicking the loss of air, as if someone's solar plexus had just been struck. · Synonym of ouch (“expressing sympathy at another's pain, shock at a high price, etc.”).

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

Onomatopoeic, compare Dutch oef and German uff.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Cognate mentionoefnl
Cognate mentionuffde

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "onom",
      "args": {
        "1": "en"
      },
      "expansion": "Onomatopoeic"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "oef"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch oef"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "uff"
      },
      "expansion": "German uff"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "oef",
      "oef#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "uff",
      "uff#German"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A sound made in pain, as when expelling air after being struck.",
        "Something cringeworthy, or which arouses disappointment; often used in conjunction with the qualifier big."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Internet"
      ],
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    },
    {
      "pos": "intj",
      "glosses": [
        "A sound mimicking the loss of air, as if someone's solar plexus had just been struck.",
        "Synonym of ouch (“expressing sympathy at another's pain, shock at a high price, etc.”)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "onomatopoeic",
        "slang"
      ],
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    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

Money.

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

Clipping of ooftish.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "clipping",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ooftish"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of ooftish"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "ooftish",
      "ooftish#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Money."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "dated",
        "slang",
        "uncountable"
      ],
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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 oof →

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-b29m