Ahh

Part of speech: interjection

Definitions

1. An exclamation uttered to express relief, surprise, or pleasure; a vocal sound made to convey a positive emotional reaction during moments of comfort or satisfaction; an interjection used to indicate relaxation or contentment in response to a pleasing experience
2. A spontaneous sound producing a sense of ease, delight, or amazement; a short vocalization expressing soothing feelings or admiration; an utterance employed to signal calmness or enjoyment in a given situation
3. A brief expressive sound signaling comfort, astonishment, or gratitude; a noise made to communicate a happy or relaxed state; an interjection serving to mark moments of satisfaction or unexpected delight

Etymology: "Ahh" is a respelling of "ass," the same word that names the donkey and also serves as a vulgar term for the buttocks. The spelling is built as "ass" plus an "h" added to the end, and it reflects a pronunciation in which the final consonant is dropped, a feature that can occur in African American Vernacular English. The sound ends up as a vowel-like exhalation with no hard "s" to close it. The word then spread well beyond that dialect. Some of its later uses outside African American Vernacular English may derive from it, or may have been shaped by it, so the interjection's path into general speech is not fully settled. What is clear is that the word's sense as a sigh of relief or delight comes from its sound, not from anything connected to the animal or the anatomical term.

Synonyms: ah, oh