English
ho
Ho comes from Middle English ho ‘stop, hold’, and goes back to Old English hō ‘Call of attention’.
- Old Englishc. 450–1150hō‘Call of attention’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ho‘stop, hold’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1596–1598same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Old Englishc. 450–1150hō‘Call of attention’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ho‘stop, hold’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1596–1598same form
Earliest quotation: c. 1596–1598, William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice: “Ho! who's within?”
Linked words
through Middle English ho ‘stop, hold’
Today it means
intj Used to attract attention to something sighted, usually by lookouts.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Old English hō / ho