ouch

ouch

See also: Ouch

English

Etymology 1

Uncertain. Some sources say the interjection is attested since 1838[1] (and specifically in American English) and derives ultimately from German autsch,[2][3] perhaps specifically via Pennsylvania German outch (“cry of pain”), as early attestations of the interjection are from Pennsylvania.[3] However, others say the interjection is a "mere"[4] or "natural" exclamation attested since the mid 1600s,[5] and the 1933 OED[3] cites one instance of a verb "ouch" in 1654, "Sancho Pancas Runs Ouching round the mountaine like a ranck-Asse".[6]

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈaʊt͡ʃ/
• Rhymes: -aʊtʃ

• Audio (US-Inland North)

  (file)

Interjection

ouch

1. An expression of one's own physical pain.

   Ouch! You stepped on my toe! That hurt!

2. An expression in sympathy at another's pain.

   Ouch! Her sunburn looks awful.

3. A reply to an insult seen as savage (frequently one that is tongue-in-cheek or joking).

   Ouch. How could you say that?

4. An expression of disappointment.

   Ouch, I really wanted to do that.

5. (slang) Expressing surprise at the high price of something.

   Ouch, one hundred thousand dollars for a car! I could never afford that!

Synonyms

• (in all of the above senses): oof, ow, owie, youch, yow, yowch

Translations

expression of one's own physical pain

Afrikaans: eina (af) Arabic: حِلْيَة‎ (ḥilya) Hijazi Arabic: أي‎ (ay), أح‎ (aḥ), آخ‎ (āḵ) Armenian: ախ (hy) (ax), վախ (hy) (vax) Bikol Central: aray Breton: aiou (br) Bulgarian: ох (oh) Catalan: au (ca) Cherokee: ᎠᏲ (ayo) Chinese: Mandarin: 哎喲／哎哟 (zh) (āiyō), 哎呀 (zh) (āiyā) Czech: au (cs) Danish: av (da) Deg Xinag: Aiiau de Dutch: au (nl) Esperanto: aj (eo), uj (eo) Finnish: ai (fi), au (fi), auts (fi), auh!, aijai, auh French: aïe (fr), ouille (fr) German: au (de), aua (de), autsch (de) Ghotuo: ouxh a Greek: αχ (el) (ach), ωχ (el) (och) Hebrew: אח‎ (he), אוי‎ (he) Hungarian: jaj (hu) Icelandic: ái Ido: aye (io) Indonesian: aduh (id) Italian: ahi, ahia Japanese: 痛い (ja) (itai), いて (ite), いてて (itete) Kapampangan: aray, aw Kimaragang: odoi Korean: 아야 (ko) (aya) Lakota: yúŋ Latin: au (la), hau Lithuanian: au (lt) Malay: Jawi: ادوه‎ Rumi: aduh (ms) Maltese: aħħ Maori: taukahore Navajo: ayáo, ayáh Norwegian: au (no) Ojibwe: iyoo Pashto: وخ‎ (wax), وئ‎ (wëy) Persian: آخ‎ (fa) (âx), آی‎ (fa) (ây) Polish: aua (pl), au (pl), auć (pl) Portuguese: ai (pt), au (pt) Romanian: ai (ro), au (ro), ah (ro), vai (ro), aoleu (ro) Russian: ой (ru) (oj), ай (ru) (aj), ох (ru) (ox), а́уч (ru) (áuč) (neologism) Serbo-Croatian: au (sh), auć, joj (sh), jao (sh) Spanish: ay (es), uy (es) Swedish: aj (sv) Tagalog: aray, aruy, aguy, ay (tl) Tamil: ஐயோ (ta) (aiyō) Telugu: అభా (abhā) Thai: อุ๊ย (th) (úi), อุ๊ยตาย (úi-dtaai), โอ๊ย (th) (ói) Uokha: ouxh Vietnamese: úi da, ai da, ui da, đau (vi) Yoruba: yéè Yup'ik: akekataki

expression in sympathy at another’s pain

Finnish: auts (fi), auh, oi voi, oijoi, voi voi French: aïe (fr) Greek: αχ (el) (ach) Malay: Jawi: ادوه‎, ادوي‎, وادوه‎ Rumi: aduh (ms), adoi, waduh Norwegian: au da, uff da Pashto: وخ‎ (wax), وئ‎ (wëy) Swedish: aj (sv), aj aj aj, aj då Yoruba: yéè

reply to an insult

Ahirani: Ay (Ay), aÿe (aÿe) Finnish: auts (fi), auh French: aïe (fr) Malay: Jawi: ادوه‎, ادوي‎, وادوه‎ Rumi: aduh (ms), adoi, waduh Pashto: وخ‎ (wax), وئ‎ (wëy) Swedish: aj (sv)

Etymology 2

Variant forms.

Noun

ouch (plural ouches)

1. Alternative form of ouche

References

1. “ouch”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
2. “ouch”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
3. Oxford English Dictionary, 1884–1928, and First Supplement, 1933. ("ouch")
4. ouch in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911
5. “ouch”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
6. 1654, Gayton, Pleas. Notes IV. ii. 176, "But harke Sancho Pancas Runs Ouching round the mountaine like a ranck-Asse, Braying for's Company.

Anagrams

• Chou, Chūō, chou

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French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /uʃ/

• Audio

  (file)

Interjection

ouch

1. interjection expressing a sharp pain: ouch!

Synonyms

• (expression of pain): aïe, ahi, ouille, ayoye (Quebec)