Where does “woo” come from?
Woo comes from Middle English wowen, from Old English wōgian, of uncertain origin and meaning.
woo (English): To endeavor to gain someone's support; To try to...
Definitions
- To endeavor to gain someone's support; To try to...
Ancestry of “woo”, step by step
woo traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English wowen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | wowen | — |
| 2 | Old English | wōgian | to woo, court, marry |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | wanhō | a bend, turn, corner, angle, curve, incline |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | wonk- | crooked, bent |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | wā- | to move , to move so as to bend, turn; to bend,... |
via Middle English woȝen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | woȝen | — |