Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Hoo” come from?

Hoo derives from Old English hōh, from Proto-Germanic hanhaz, from Proto-Indo-European kenk-, of uncertain ultimate meaning.

Ancestry of “Hoo”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishhoo—
2Old Englishhēoshe
3Germanic*hiju—
4Proto-Germanichijōshe; nominative singular feminine of *hiz
5Proto-Indo-Europeanḱe-demonstrative particle; here; this, here
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱe- →