Where does “whoa” come from?

whoa (Japanese) comes from English Whoa, from English woa, from English Wo, from English WHO, from English ’s, from English Kingstown, from English town, from Middle English toun — on, onto.

whoa (Japanese): wow; whoa

Definitions

  1. wow; whoa

Ancestry of “whoa”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishWhoaStop (especially when commanding a horse or imitative thereof); calm down; slow down
2Englishwoa
3EnglishWothe prefix of catalog entries in the Gliese star...
4EnglishWHO
5English’s
6EnglishKingstownOS grid ref NY3959
7EnglishtownA settlement; an area with residential districts,...
8Middle Englishtountown
9Middle EnglishendeThe end or finishing of a thing; the terminal...
10Old Englishendeend, limit, border, corner
11Proto-Germanicandiin addition, furthermore, and
12Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂éntiopposite; near; in front
13Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂éntsforehead; front
14Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ent-face; forehead; front
15Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂en-on, onto
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂en-