wahoo

¹ American  

[wah-hoo, wah-hoo] / wɑˈhu, ˈwɑ hu /

noun

plural

wahoos

1. any of various American shrubs or small trees, as the winged elm, Ulmus alata, or a linden, Tilia heterophylla.

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wahoo ² American  

[wah-hoo, wah-hoo] / wɑˈhu, ˈwɑ hu /

noun

plural

wahoos

1. a shrub or small tree, Euonymus atropurpurea, of North America, having finely serrated, elliptical leaves and pendulous capsules that in opening reveal the bright-scarlet arils of the seeds.

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wahoo ³ American  

[wah-hoo, wah-hoo] / wɑˈhu, ˈwɑ hu /

noun

plural

wahoos,

plural

wahoo

1. a large, swift mackerel, Acanthocybium solanderi, widespread in warm seas, of a steel blue to greenish blue above and silver below, often leaping from the water and occasionally schooling in great numbers: valued as a food and game fish.

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wahoo ⁴ American  

[wah-hoo] / ˈwɑˈhu /

interjection

1. (an exclamation used to express joy, excitement, etc.)

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wahoo ¹ British  

/ wɑːˈhuː, ˈwɑːhuː /

noun

1. Also called: winged elm.  an elm, Ulmus alata, of SE North America having twigs with winged corky edges

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wahoo ² British  

/ ˈwɑːhuː, wɑːˈhuː /

noun

1. Also called: burning bush.  an E North American shrub or small tree, Euonymus atropurpureus, with scarlet capsules and seeds

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wahoo ³ British  

/ ˈwɑːhuː, wɑːˈhuː /

noun

1. a large fast-moving food and game fish, Acanthocybium solandri, of tropical seas: family Scombridae (mackerels and tunnies)

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Etymology

Origin of wahoo¹

An Americanism dating back to 1760–70; possibly from Creek vhahwv “walnut”

Origin of wahoo²

An Americanism dating back to 1855–60; from Dakota wanhu, equivalent to wan- “arrow” + hu “wood, shaft”

Origin of wahoo³

First recorded in 1905–10; origin uncertain; perhaps from Wahoo, an obsolete spelling for Oahu (Hawaii)

Origin of wahoo⁴

An Americanism dating back to 1900–05; of imitative origin

Explanation

A wahoo is a type of tree or shrub, as well as the name of a fast-moving tropical fish. It's also an expression of excitement: "Wahoo, we won the three-legged race!" In North America, it's common to use wahoo interchangeably with "yahoo" or "hooray," so you might jump around and yell, "Wahoo!" when your team wins the Super Bowl. The original meaning of this word is "burning bush," a North American shrub. The word is a distorted translation of the Dakota wahu, "wooden arrow." Experts aren't sure why the fish came to be called a wahoo around 1880.

Example Sentences

On the Hawaii trip, she texted that “two little wahoo swim by the oars and play in the swirls.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 16, 2020

Fishermen go door-to-door selling tuna and wahoo to islanders, while farmers drive through neighborhoods yelling out “Tomatoes! Lemons! Greens!” on a megaphone.

From Washington Times • May 11, 2020

Request a table overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway and order the seafood, such as stone-crab claws or raw wahoo.

From Washington Post • May 17, 2018

On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, powerful cabin cruisers speed out of Nassau, carrying tourists in pursuit of huge mahimahi, wahoo and marlin.

From Nature • Mar. 16, 2015

First, fresh tangerine peels were found under the wahoo bush near the Ocean Rocks.

From My Father's Dragon by Gannett, Ruth Stiles