English word origin

Etymology of wu

From the Wade-Giles romanization of Mandarin Chinese 巫 (wū, “shaman”).

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary 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 ↗

noun

A Chinese shaman.

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

From the Wade-Giles romanization of Mandarin Chinese 巫 (wū, “shaman”).

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Mandarin"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Wade-Giles",
      "Wade-Giles"
    ],
    [
      "巫",
      "巫#Mandarin"
    ],
    [
      "shaman",
      "shaman"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A Chinese shaman."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "historical"
      ],
      "recordId": "1ea27c52ee2e44a3dc962b579a58d8cc6a7f7422a981b42643256fc630d555ee",
      "rawRecordSha256": "c1a16c0e69dd32fb0717cee3bf4b3b62b3874dd5acf6182ff2fa4ca524f9b420",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 876566
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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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 wu →

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-d3U