whoop

Meanings

Noun

• A loud, eager cry, usually of joy.
• A gasp, characteristic of whooping cough.
• A bump on a racetrack.

Verb

• To make a whoop.
• To shout, to yell.
• To cough or breathe with a sonorous inspiration, as in whooping cough.
• To insult with shouts; to chase with derision.
• To beat, to strike.
• To defeat thoroughly.

Origin

• From Middle English whopen, whowpen, howpen, houpen, partially from Old French houper, hopper, houpper, from Proto-Germanic *hwōpaną (compare Gothic 𐍈𐍉𐍀𐌰𐌽, Old English hwōpan); and partially from Middle English wop, from Old English wōp, from Proto-Germanic *wōpaz (compare Old Norse ópa, Gothic 𐍅𐍉𐍀𐌾𐌰𐌽).
• Corruption of whip.