Woof is the conventional representation in the English language of the barking of a dog. As with other examples of onomatopoeia or imitative sounds, other cultures "hear" the dog's barks differently and represent them in their own ways. Some of the equivalents of "woof" in other European and Asian languages are as follows:
- Albanian - ham, ham
- Arabic - haw, haw
- Dutch - woef, woef
- Finnish - hau, hau
- French - ouaf, ouaf
- German - wau, wau
- Greek - gav, gav
- Hindi - bho, bho
- Icelandic - voff, voff
- Italian - bau, bau
- Korean - mung, mung
- Mandarin Chinese - wang, wang
- Polish - hau, hau
- Romanian - ham, ham
- Russian - gav, gav
- Thai - hoang, hoang
Fish
The word woof is often used in British English, especially in northern England, to refer to the dogfish, a common type of small shark.
Weaving
In weaving, the term woof or weft is used to refer to the threads or yarn that run from side to side on a loom. This very ancient meaning derives ultimately from the Old English word wefan, "to weave". It has given rise to the expression "woof and warp", meaning literally a fabric (the warp being the lengthwise threads, under and over which the side to side threads - the woof - are woven). The expression is used as a metaphor for the underlying structure on which something is built. See Weft for more.
See also
