pooh
/puː/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.29 in modern English
9
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
3
Unique Chars
Meaning
name
intj
intj
Expressing disgust at an unpleasant smell.
intj
Alternative form of poo: a minced oath for 'shit'.
verb
To say "pooh".
Intransitive verb
Example Sentences
- "I am carelesse what the fustie World speakes of me, puh."
- "Pooh, ha, ha, ha, I know you envy me."
- "‘Pooh, just a simple trick of skipping two hours ahead of the clock, so that people can’t see what’s happening now because it hasn’t happened yet.’"
- "Pooh!... How you smell of tobacco."
- "Mom offers everybody fudge and says ‘Oh, pooh!’ when she gets upset."
- "She […] hath ſtiled him with an immortall penne, the bawewawe of ſchollars, the tutt of gentlemen, the tee-heegh of gentlewomen, the phy of citizens, the blurt of Courtiers, the poogh of good letters, the faph of good manners, and the whoop-hooe of good boyes in London ſtreetes."
Etymology
Originally onomatopoeic ("perhaps ancient" according to Online Etymology Dictionary) for a puff of air, after earlier poh and similar to later pew, phew, pho, phoo, poof. Later influenced by poop, onomatopoeic for the sound of flatulating and defecating, and by interjections of disgust similar to phew, pee-ew. Interjection for an unpleasant smell possibly linked to French puer (“to stink”).
Origin
- Source language: French
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /puː/
- British English: /phuː/