English word origin

Etymology of oh

Etymology tree Latin ō Old French ohbor. Middle English o English oh Inherited from Middle English o.

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 3 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 ↗

verb

To utter the interjection oh; to express surprise, etc.

intj

Expression of surprise. · Expression of wonder, amazement, or awe. · Expression of understanding, affirmation, recognition, or realization. · A word to precede an annoyed remark.

noun

An utterance of oh; a spoken expression of surprise, acknowledgement, etc.

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

Etymology tree Latin ō Old French ohbor. Middle English o English oh Inherited from Middle English o.

This page abbreviates 6 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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    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:o<id:oh>",
        "id": "surprise",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nLatin ō\nOld French ohbor.\nMiddle English o\nEnglish oh\n[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"vocative\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"ō\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old French\", \"term\" : \"oh\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"fro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"o\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"oh\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"surprise\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"oh\" id=\"English:_surprise\">\nInherited from Middle English o."
    },
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      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nLatin ō\nOld French ohbor.\nMiddle English o\nEnglish oh\nInherited from Middle English o."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "ō",
      "o#Latin:_vocative"
    ],
    [
      "oh",
      "oh#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "o",
      "o#Middle_English:_oh"
    ],
    [
      "o",
      "o#Middle_English:_oh"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To utter the interjection oh; to express surprise, etc."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ],
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      "glosses": [
        "Expression of surprise.",
        "Expression of wonder, amazement, or awe.",
        "Expression of understanding, affirmation, recognition, or realization.",
        "A word to precede an annoyed remark."
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        "An utterance of oh; a spoken expression of surprise, acknowledgement, etc."
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

The name of the Latin script letter O/o.

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

Etymology tree Latin ō Old French ohbor. Middle English o English oh From Middle English o, oo, from Old English ō, from Latin ō.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mentionoenm
Inherited-form mentionōang
Derivation mentionōla

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:o<id:oh><ety:inh<ang:ō<id:name>>>",
        "tree": "1"
      },
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    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "o"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English o"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "ō"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English ō"
    },
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      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "ō"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin ō"
    },
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      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:o<id:oh><ety:inh<ang:ō<id:name>>>",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nLatin ō\nOld French ohbor.\nMiddle English o\nEnglish oh"
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  ],
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      "o#Latin:_vocative"
    ],
    [
      "oh",
      "oh#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "o",
      "o#Middle_English:_oh"
    ],
    [
      "o",
      "o#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "oo",
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    ],
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      "o#Old_English"
    ],
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      "ō",
      "o#Latin"
    ]
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  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The name of the Latin script letter O/o."
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

noun

The digit 0 (especially in representations of speech)

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

From o (“zero”), extended use of letter O name based on similar shape of the number 0.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "links": [
    [
      "o",
      "o#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The digit 0 (especially in representations of speech)"
      ],
      "tags": [],
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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 oh →

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-b2g