*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of wew

Modification of whew (expression of amazement or surprise) or wow. Originated circa 2013; see Know Your Meme for more details.

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

An expression of contemptuous astonishment in response to embarrassing or cringeworthy behavior.

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

Modification of whew (expression of amazement or surprise) or wow. Originated circa 2013; see Know Your Meme for more details.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "from",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "whew",
        "pos": "expression of amazement or surprise"
      },
      "expansion": "whew (expression of amazement or surprise)"
    },
    {
      "name": "from",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "wow"
      },
      "expansion": "wow"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "whew",
      "whew#English"
    ],
    [
      "wow",
      "wow#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "intj",
      "glosses": [
        "An expression of contemptuous astonishment in response to embarrassing or cringeworthy behavior."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "6abc9fe5ccaa3d81a3f02a433b3e454c22f1c12b010a300fdd51419f67927ae5",
      "rawRecordSha256": "afc5b5d73bd7feae2e2bacd8ed8b1ab69a9cbb8b5f792b15606aae83e0fc90b5",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 9231880
    }
  ],
  "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 wew →

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-d2V3