wah

See also: Wah and wAH

Translingual

Symbol

wah

(international standards) ISO 639-3 language code for Watubela.

English

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /wɑː/
- (interjection also) IPA^(key): [wa(ːː)], [wæ(ːː)], [wæ̃̂ːː]
- (interjection, etymology 3) IPA^(key): [wä(ːː)˦˨]
Audio (Southern England): (file)
Rhymes: -ɑː

Etymology 1

From Nepali [script needed] (wah donka).

Noun

wah (plural wahs)

(archaic or furry fandom) The red panda.

Etymology 2

Imitative.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /wæː/

Interjection

wah

A cry of fright, distress, etc. (especially of an infant or young child)
A cry of amazement, delight, etc.
- 1937, Ion L. Idriess, Over the Range, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, published 1947, page 277:
  ‘Wah! Wah! Wah!’ they shouted and threw up their arms in delight.

Usage notes

The word is often extended, for instance "wahhhhhhh", "waaaaaah", etc.

Alternative forms

weh

Translations

cry of fright

Tamil: குவா (ta) (kuvā) (Of an infant)
Vietnamese: oe oe (vi) (by an infant), oa oa (vi) (by an infant), oe óe (vi)

cry of amazement

Russian: уа-уа (ru) (ua-ua) (light and moderate cry), уа-а-а (ua-a-a) (loudest cry)
Tamil: ஆ (ta) (ā) (amazement), ஐ (ta) (ai) (delight)

Etymology 3

Imitative.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /wɑː/

Noun

wah (plural wahs)

(music) wah-wah.

Derived terms

wah pedal

Etymology 4

From Cantonese 嘩 / 哗 (waa³) or Mandarin 哇 (wa).

Interjection

wah

(Singlish, Manglish) Wow!; whoa! (expressing surprise, gratification, exhaustion or exasperation)
- 2005 October 30, Wong Kim Hoh, The Sunday Times, quoted in Jack Tsen-Ta Lee, A Dictionary of Singlish and Singapore English:
  Wah, you quite brave hor...
- 2022, Daren Shiau, chapter VIII, in Heartland, Ethos Books, →ISBN:
  “Wah, so tall already, ah? Primary what already, ha?

Anagrams

Haw, Haw., WHA, haw, wha

Javanese

Romanization

wah

romanization of ꦮꦃ

Khasi

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /waːʔ/

Noun

wah f

river
Kyrteng aiu kane ka wah? ― What is the name of this river?

Verb

wah

suspend, hang

References

Singh, U Nissor (1906), Khasi-English dictionary‎^[1], Shillong: Eastern Bengal and Assam Secretariat Press, page 244. Searchable online at SEAlang.net.

Mokilese

Etymology

From Proto-Micronesian *wuaa (“fruit”), from Proto-Oceanic *puaq (“fruit”), from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *buaq (“fruit”), from Proto-Austronesian *buaq (“fruit”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /waː/

Noun

wah

(one's) fruit

Declension

Possessive forms of *wah* (loose inalienable possession, -ah stem)
singular possessor	first person	wehioa
	second person	wehmwen
	third person	weh
dual possessors	first person inclusive	wehsa
	first person exclusive	wehma
	second person	wehmwa
	third person	wehra
plural possessors	first person inclusive	wehsai
	first person exclusive	wehmai
	second person	wehmwai
	third person	wehrai
remote plural possessors	first person inclusive	wehs
	first person exclusive	wehmi
	second person	wehmwi
	third person	wehr
construct form		wehn

References

Harrison, Sheldon P.; Albert, Salich Y. (1977), Mokilese-English Dictionary‎^[2], Honolulu: The University Press of Hawaii, →ISBN, page 243

Navajo

Interjection

wah

oops! (referring to oneself)
clumsy! (referring to someone else)
whew! (as one sits down after a strenuous activity)

Related terms

waháá

Old English

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /wɑːx/
Rhymes: -ɑːx

Verb

wāh

first/third-person singular past indicative of wīgan

Old Javanese

Noun

wah

alternative spelling of wāh (“flood”)

Pnar

Etymology

From Proto-Khasian *waʔ (“river”). Cognate with Khasi wah.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /waʔ/

Noun

wah

river

Pohnpeian

Etymology

Related to wa (“to flower, to bear fruit”). (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /wɐː/
Rhymes: -ɐː

Noun

wah (construct state wahn)

(botany) A flower or fruit.
One's offspring.
(figuratively) A result.
(figuratively) Something made, something that has been made (in the broadest sense).

Derived terms

References

New Pohnpeian-English Online Dictionary‎^[3], Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaiʻi

Southern Kam

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /wa³³/

Noun

wah

to say

Tarifit

Etymology

Borrowed from Moroccan Arabic واه (wāh).

Pronunciation

(Nador) IPA^(key): [wɛɦ]
Syllabification: wah
Rhymes: -ɛɦ

Particle

wah m or f (Tifinagh spelling ⵡⴰⵀ)

yes
Synonyms: yih, ah

Antonym: lla

Ma d win i dac-yewtan? Wah, d win!
Is that the guy that hit you? Yes, that's him!

References

Yucatec Maya

Noun

wah

alternative spelling of waaj