Originally posted August 27, 2012
Though a revisit, this remains one of my favorite word discoveries!
I always thought of wow as a modern word. So when I looked it up, I was shocked to see that it’s from 1510!
Wow is a Scottish interjection, one of those that arise from a
natural sound we make when surprised by something. Much like whoa, ow,
ouch, huh, and the like.
natural sound we make when surprised by something. Much like whoa, ow,
ouch, huh, and the like.
It became a verb in more modern days, though–we only started wowing people in the 1920s, originating in America. 😉
But in my defense, it’s a word that waxed and waned in popularity. It
apparently took on new life in the early 1900s after being not so in use
prior, and then had another surge in the 1960s. Which has carried
through to now.
apparently took on new life in the early 1900s after being not so in use
prior, and then had another surge in the 1960s. Which has carried
through to now.
And of course, had led to one of my son’s favorite sayings when he was about 4:
Wowwy-zowwy-coppa-bowwy! (Or however one would spell that…) (Sadly, eight years later he doesn’t say it anymore, though I still do on occasion, LOL.)
Wowwy-zowwy-coppa-bowwy! (Or however one would spell that…) (Sadly, eight years later he doesn’t say it anymore, though I still do on occasion, LOL.)
Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary.