*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of wow

Attested since the 16th century; borrowed from Scots wow; ultimately a natural exclamation.

2 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary 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 ↗
intj

An indication of excitement, surprise, astonishment, or pleasure. · An expression of amazement, awe, or admiration. · Used sarcastically to express disapproval of something.

noun

Anything exceptionally surprising, unbelievable, outstanding, etc. · An utterance of "wow".

verb

To amaze or awe. · Of a cat, to mew. · Of a dog, to howl.

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

Attested since the 16th century; borrowed from Scots wow; ultimately a natural exclamation.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Borrowed-form mentionwowsco
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sco",
        "3": "wow"
      },
      "expansion": "Scots wow"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "wow",
      "wow#Scots"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "intj",
      "glosses": [
        "An indication of excitement, surprise, astonishment, or pleasure.",
        "An expression of amazement, awe, or admiration.",
        "Used sarcastically to express disapproval of something."
      ],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 39059
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Anything exceptionally surprising, unbelievable, outstanding, etc.",
        "An utterance of \"wow\"."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 39061
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To amaze or awe.",
        "Of a cat, to mew.",
        "Of a dog, to howl."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal",
        "transitive",
        "dialectal",
        "intransitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "b1a93e6a6f7201aa842cd07205b27255f0895a4a061aee5a22117ae2db60c407",
      "rawRecordSha256": "a851e3e51d1c92ade5b56cf7bdc5260b7f2e7361bc530acf5fd85510fff78a16",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 39060
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A relatively slow form of flutter (pitch variation) which can affect both gramophone records and tape recorders.

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

Imitative.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A relatively slow form of flutter (pitch variation) which can affect both gramophone records and tape recorders."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ],
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      "rawRecordSha256": "122deb34a95552d1832e60ded999b0ddb001132250f3bab491ca54dfeb4b25a6",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 39062
    }
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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 wow →

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-d293