Bowwow
/ˈbaʊˌwaʊ/noun
A representation of a dog’s bark; also a dog, especially in playful or childish usage.
Did you know?Unlike words with deep roots, bowwow is an onomatopoeic coinage: its history is the history of people imitating the sound of a dog rather than inheriting it from an older language.
Etymological Timeline
Modern English
English
bowwow
“An imitation of a dog’s bark; later also a playful name for a dog.”
18th Century
English
bow-wow
“A written imitation of barking in humorous or child-directed speech.”
17th Century
English
bow wow
“An expressive sound used to represent a dog’s bark in print and speech.”
Proto-language
—
onomatopoeia
“Not inherited from a single ancestral root; formed by imitating a natural sound.”
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