*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of wau

From the transliteration of Ancient Greek *ϝαῦ (*waû) (reconstructed from Latin vau (/⁠wau̯⁠/)), from Phoenician 𐤅 (w /⁠wāw⁠/). Doublet of vav and waw.

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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 ↗
noun

Digamma (Ϝ/ϝ).

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

From the transliteration of Ancient Greek *ϝαῦ (*waû) (reconstructed from Latin vau (/⁠wau̯⁠/)), from Phoenician 𐤅 (w /⁠wāw⁠/). Doublet of vav and waw.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Derivation mention*ϝαῦgrc
  • Derivation mentionvaula
  • Derivation mention𐤅phn
Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "*ϝαῦ"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek *ϝαῦ (*waû)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "vau",
        "ts": "wau̯"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin vau (/⁠wau̯⁠/)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "phn",
        "3": "𐤅",
        "ts": "wāw"
      },
      "expansion": "Phoenician 𐤅 (w /⁠wāw⁠/)"
    },
    {
      "name": "dbt",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "vav",
        "3": "waw"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of vav and waw"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*ϝαῦ",
      "Reconstruction:Ancient Greek/ϝαῦ"
    ],
    [
      "vau",
      "vau#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "𐤅",
      "𐤅#Phoenician"
    ],
    [
      "vav",
      "vav#English"
    ],
    [
      "waw",
      "waw#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Digamma (Ϝ/ϝ)."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "985fecc67d65ec291124d492e1916e5f316e4aa459d68e0862be3f12d66c5db7",
      "rawRecordSha256": "26225e445d20d9c7cb06f2199286435c74f2e16f03eeaf8fa40cbacb7add3187",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1804386
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

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 wau →

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-d2F1