wop

[ wop ]

noun

, Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive.

1. a contemptuous term used to refer to an Italian or a person of Italian descent.

wop

¹

/ wɒp /

noun

1. slang.
   a member of a Latin people, esp an Italian

wop

²

/ wɒp /

verb

1. See whop
   a variant spelling of whop

Word History and Origins

Origin of wop¹

An Americanism first recorded in 1910–15; from Italian (Neapolitan and Sicilian dialect) guappo “bully, showy,” from Spanish guapo “a dandy”; further origin uncertain, possibly ultimately from Latin vappa “wine that has gone flat; worthless or useless person.” The belief that this word is an acronym of “without papers/passport,” in reference to immigration status, is without substance

Word History and Origins

Origin of wop¹

C20: probably from southern Italian dialect guappo dandy, braggart, from Spanish guapo

Example Sentences

I used to sing just to do it, but then Art put together a doo-wop group.

From The Daily Beast

You can hear his love for the doo wop of his youth in Velvets songs like “I Found a Reason” and “Candy Says.”

From The Daily Beast

I knew a doo-wop group that sings in the subway and around the city, and I wanted to get them involved.

From The Daily Beast

Amy Winehouse incorporated a lot of Motown and soul and doo-wop into her stuff, an updated version of it.

From The Daily Beast

This kind of situation happened over and over again in the big-band years and later during the doo-wop era.

From The Daily Beast

"Don't forget to tell him how the wop licked the Jew," broke in the prisoner.

From Project Gutenberg

I'm nothing but an ordinary day-laborer, a plain Mick, a sort of a Wop, obeying orders.

From Project Gutenberg

They sing about what a fine mornin' it is in Wop and she tells him he'd better fly his kite before Archibald catches him.

From Project Gutenberg

She added, bright mischief between her long lashes, "What is it then—a Wop?"

From Project Gutenberg

Then he smiled up at me with a look in his eyes that seemed to say, "But they haven't croaked the 'dying Wop' yet."

From Project Gutenberg