Etymology

hoe

H4O1E1

Today it means: An agricultural and horticultural hand tool consisting of a long handle with a flat blade fixed perpendicular to it at the end, used for digging rows or removing weeds by hand. Full definition →

Middle English howe ← Anglo-Norman houe ← Frankish *hauwā
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hoe · noun, verb1

  1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*hawwaną
  2. Frankish · derived from*hauwan“to hew”
  3. Frankish · derived from*hauwā
  4. Anglo-Norman · derived fromhoue
  5. Middle English · inherited fromhowe
  6. English todayhoe

From Middle English howe, from Anglo-Norman houe, from Frankish *hauwā, derivative of Frankish *hauwan (“to hew”), from Proto-Germanic *hawwaną. More at hew.

hoe · noun, verb2

From a non-rhotic pronunciation of whore.

hoe · noun3

  1. Old English · inherited fromhōh
  2. Middle English · inherited fromhough
  3. English todayhoe

From Middle English hough, hogh, from Old English hōh.

hoe · noun4

Cognate with Dutch haai (“shark”), qv.

Hoe · proper noun5

  1. Old English · derived fromhōh“heel; spur of a hill”
  2. English todayHoe

From Old English hōh (“heel; spur of a hill”).

Hoe · proper noun6

Two main origins: * A variant of Ho, a Vietnamese surname. * An English habitational surname, from the village in Norfolk.

Words from the same roots

Middle Englishhowe all →

howhoo

Proto-Germanic*hawwaną all →

hew

Middle Englishhough all →

hoohoughhock

Old Englishhōh all →

howHoughtonhowehooHuttonkewhoughHoltonHowarthhockMintoHoylandHullandheugh

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.