ho (n.)Related entries & more
by 1993, American English slang, representing an African-American vernacular pronunciation of whore.
ho (interj.)Related entries & more
exclamation of surprise, etc., c. 1300; as an exclamation calling attention or demanding silence, late 14c. Used after the name of a place to which attention is called (as in Westward-Ho) it dates from 1590s, originally a cry of boatmen, etc., announcing departures for a particular destination. Ho-ho-ho expressing laughter is recorded from mid-12c.
ho-de-ho (interj.)Related entries & more
1932, defined in the "Oxford English Dictionary" as "An exclamation, used as the appropriate response to HI-DE-HI."
heigh-ho (interj.)Related entries & more
c. 1400 as part of the refrain of a song; by 1550s as an exclamation to express yawning, sighing, etc.; see hey.
tally-hoRelated entries & more
also tallyho, huntsman's cry to alert others that the game has been spotted, 1772, earlier in the name of a roistering character in English theater, Sir Toby Tallyho (Foote, 1756), from French taiaut, cry used in deer hunting (1660s), from Old French taho, tielau. Meaning "fast coach" is from 1823, originally in reference to the one that made the run from London to Birmingham.
Related entries & more
ahoy (interj.)Related entries & more
also a hoy, 1751, from a (probably merely a preliminary sound) + hoy, a nautical call used in hauling. The original form of the greeting seems to have been ho, the ship ahoy!
whoa (interj.)Related entries & more
hobo (n.)Related entries & more
"a tramp," 1889, Western U.S., of unknown origin. Barnhart compares early 19c. English dialectal hawbuck "lout, clumsy fellow, country bumpkin." Or possibly from ho, boy, a workers' call on late 19c. western U.S. railroads. Facetious formation hobohemia, "community or life of hobos," is from 1923 (see bohemian).