Where does “wow” come from?

wow (Scots) comes from Scots wave, from Middle English waven, from Old English wafian, from Proto-Germanic wabōną, from Proto-Indo-European webʰ- — to weave, braid.

wow (Scots): wow (an exclamation of astonishment or amazement)

Definitions

  1. wow (an exclamation of astonishment or amazement)

Ancestry of “wow”, step by step

wow traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Scots wave

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Scotswaveto wave, to move back and forth
2Middle EnglishwavenTo shake, swing or totter; to move to and fro; To...
3Old Englishwafianto wave; to be agitated, astonished, amazed; to...
4Proto-Germanicwabōną—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwebʰ-to weave, braid

via Middle English wowe

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishwoweWoe, discomfort; a state of intense depression...
2Old Englishwāwa—
3Proto-Germanicwaiwôwoe, grief, misery; evil, wickedness, malice
4Proto-Indo-Europeanwaioh!; woe!

Words derived from “wow”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European webʰ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic wabōną →Every word from Old English wafian →