ouch

ouch · interjection, noun, verb¹

1. Pennsylvania German · derived fromoutch“cry of pain”
2. German · derived fromautsch
3. English todayouch

Uncertain. Some sources say the interjection is attested since 1838 (and specifically in American English) and derives ultimately from German autsch, perhaps specifically via Pennsylvania German outch (“cry of pain”), as early attestations of the interjection are from Pennsylvania. However, others say the interjection is a "mere" or "natural" exclamation attested since the mid 1600s, and the 1933 OED cites one instance of a verb "ouch" in 1654, "Sancho Pancas Runs Ouching round the mountaine like a ranck-Asse".

ouch · noun²

Variant forms.