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wa·hoo 1 (wä-h, wäh)
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n. pl. wa·hoos
A deciduous shrub or small tree (Euonymus atropurpureus) of eastern North America, having small purplish flowers, pink fruit containing scarlet arils, and red foliage in the autumn.
[Dakota waŋhu : waŋ, arrow + hu, leg, stock or stem of a plant (from the use of its straight, slender shoots and branches to make arrow shafts ).]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
wa·hoo 2 (wä-h, wäh)
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n. pl. wa·hoos
See winged elm.
[Originally, any of various trees such as the wahoo or the white basswood (Tilia caroliniana), possibly from Creek vhahwv, walnut (perhaps applied in English to various other trees having useful bark) or a kindred Muskogean source.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
wa·hoo 3 (wä-h, wäh)
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n. pl. wahooor wa·hoos
A large marine food and game fish (Acanthocybium solandri) of subtropical and tropical waters, having a pointed snout, narrow body, and long dorsal fin.
[Perhaps from Wahoo, obsolete spelling of OAHU (because wahoo are fished around Hawaii).]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
wa·hoo 4 (wäh) Chiefly Western US
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interj.
Used to express exuberance.
n. pl. wa·hoos
An exuberant cry: He let out a wahoo. Also called regionally rebel yell.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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