*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of pooh

Originally onomatopoeic ("perhaps ancient" according to Online Etymology Dictionary) for a puff of air, after earlier poh and similar to later pew, phew, pho, phoo, poof. Later influenced by poop, onomatopoeic for the so

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 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.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
intj

Expressing dismissal, contempt, impatience, etc. · Expressing disgust at an unpleasant smell. · Alternative form of poo: a minced oath for 'shit'.

noun

An instance of saying "pooh". · Alternative form of poo: feces. · Alternative form of poo: A piece of feces; an act of defecation.

verb

To say "pooh". · To say "pooh" to. · Alternative form of poo: To defecate or dirty something with feces.

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

Originally onomatopoeic ("perhaps ancient" according to Online Etymology Dictionary) for a puff of air, after earlier poh and similar to later pew, phew, pho, phoo, poof. Later influenced by poop, onomatopoeic for the sound of flatulating and defecating, and by interjections of disgust similar to phew, pee-ew. Interjection for an unpleasant smell possibly linked to French puer (“to stink”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Derivation mentionpuerfr · to stink
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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    {
      "name": "onomatopoeic",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "nocap": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "onomatopoeic"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "puer",
        "t": "to stink"
      },
      "expansion": "French puer (“to stink”)"
    }
  ],
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      "phew",
      "phew#English"
    ],
    [
      "pho",
      "pho#English"
    ],
    [
      "phoo",
      "phoo#English"
    ],
    [
      "poof",
      "poof#English"
    ],
    [
      "poop",
      "poop#English"
    ],
    [
      "flatulating",
      "flatulate"
    ],
    [
      "defecating",
      "defecate"
    ],
    [
      "phew",
      "phew#English"
    ],
    [
      "pee-ew",
      "pee-ew#English"
    ],
    [
      "puer",
      "puer#French"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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      "pos": "intj",
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        "Expressing dismissal, contempt, impatience, etc.",
        "Expressing disgust at an unpleasant smell.",
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      ],
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        "An instance of saying \"pooh\".",
        "Alternative form of poo: feces.",
        "Alternative form of poo: A piece of feces; an act of defecation."
      ],
      "tags": [
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      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To say \"pooh\".",
        "To say \"pooh\" to.",
        "Alternative form of poo: To defecate or dirty something with feces."
      ],
      "tags": [
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        "transitive",
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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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 pooh →

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-cG9vaA