Ergh

Part of speech: interjection

Definitions

1. An informal exclamation of disgust or distaste, typically made when something unpleasant is seen, smelled, tasted or experienced
2. A vocal expression of revulsion uttered in reaction to something repulsive or nauseating
3. A brief sound of distaste voiced when confronted with something offensive, gross or unappealing

Etymology: "Ergh" is an interjection, an alternative spelling of "eurgh," and its origin is onomatopoeic: it imitates the sound a person makes when retching or gagging. Rather than descending from an older word in Latin, Greek, or Old English, it was built to mimic a bodily noise, which is why its spelling shifts so easily, with the "eu" and "er" forms both circulating. The sound it copies is a throat-clearing heave, and that is what makes it work as an expression of disgust. A reaction to something repulsive can be voiced without any sentence at all, and this word fills that role, sitting alongside other sound-based interjections that stand in for feelings rather than naming them.