Where does “whoop” come from?

Whoop comes from Middle English whopen, from Old French houper, from Proto-Germanic hwōpaną, a verb of uncertain original meaning.

whoop (English): A loud, eager cry, usually of joy; A gasp,...

Definitions

  1. A loud, eager cry, usually of joy; A gasp,...

Ancestry of “whoop”, step by step

whoop traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English wop

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishwopthe action of or a moment of crying or weeping;...
2Old Englishwōpcry, outcry, shrieking, weeping, lamentation
3Proto-Germanicwōpazshout, cry, wail
4Proto-Germanicw(e/o)h₂b-os—

via English whip

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishwhipA lash; a pliant, flexible instrument, such as a...
2Middle Englishwhippen—
3Middle Dutchwippento swing, leap, dance, oscillate

Words derived from “whoop”

Every word from Proto-Germanic w(e/o)h₂b-os →