woo

woo · verb¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*wā-“to bend, twist, turn”
2. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*wonk-“crooked, bent”
3. Proto-Germanic · derived from*wanhō“a bend, angle”
4. Old English · inherited fromwōgian“to woo, court, marry”
5. Middle English · inherited fromwowen
6. English todaywoo

From Middle English wowen, woȝen, from Old English wōgian (“to woo, court, marry”), of uncertain origin. Cognate with Scots wow (“to woo”). Perhaps related to Old English wōg, wōh (“bending, crookedness”), in the specific sense of "bend or incline (some)one toward oneself". If so, then derived from Proto-Germanic *wanhō (“a bend, angle”), from Proto-Indo-European *wonk- (“crooked, bent”), from Proto-Indo-European *wā- (“to bend, twist, turn”); related to Old Norse vá (“corner, angle”).

Woo · proper noun²

From an irregular romanization of various Mandarin Chinese surnames including 吳／吴 (Wú), 伍 (Wǔ), 武 (Wǔ), and 巫 (Wū), or from Cantonese 胡 (wu4).

Woo · proper noun³

1. Korean · derived from禹, 于
2. Korean · borrowed from우
3. English todayWoo

From Korean 우 (u). * (surname): from Korean 禹, 于