ow

See also: ów, -ow, 'ow, and -ów

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈaʊ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

  Rhymes: -aʊ

• Homophone: our (some dialects)

Interjection

ow

1. Synonym of ouch (“cry of pain”)
2. (music) Used for emotional emphasis.
   • 1970, Free (lyrics and music), “All Right Now”:

     Now don't you wait or hesitate / Let's move before they raise the parking rate, ow!

   • 1987, Michael Jackson (lyrics and music), “Smooth Criminal”:

     Then you ran into the bedroom / You were struck down / It was your doom, Annie / Ow!

Usage notes

In everyday colloquial (spoken or written) usage, the sound may be lengthened, such as in the form oww, usually to indicate an increase in pain or distress.

Derived terms

• owie

Anagrams

• wo, w—O, W.O., W. O., WO, Wo, w/o

Chinook Jargon

Noun

ow

1. younger brother

Coordinate terms

• (with regards to gender): ats
• (with regards to age): kahpo

Cornish

Alternative forms

• owth (used before vowels and h)

Etymology

From Proto-Brythonic *wurt

Particle

ow (triggers hard mutation)

1. -ing (precedes verbal noun)

Middle English

Pronoun

ow

1. Alternative form of yow

Tagalog

Etymology

From English o, the English name of the letter O/o.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈʔow/ [ˈʔoʊ̯]
• Rhymes: -ow
• Syllabification: ow

Noun

ow (Baybayin spelling ᜂᜏ᜔)

1. Alternative form of o: the name of the Latin-script letter O/o, in the Filipino alphabet

   Synonym: (in the Abakada alphabet and the Abecedario) o

See also

• (Latin-script letter names) titik; ey, bi, si, di, i, ef, dyi, eyts, ay, dyey, key, el, em, en, enye, en dyi, o, pi, kyu, ar, es, ti, yu, vi, dobolyu, eks, way, zi

Further reading

• “ow”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018