Lo

Part of speech: interjection, noun

Definitions

1. An old-fashioned interjection used to draw attention to something just seen or about to be noticed
2. A archaic exclamation meant to make someone look at or notice a sight, often used in storytelling or poetry
3. Used as a dramatic call to behold something, typically in older or formal writing to announce a surprising sight

Etymology: "Lo" is an interjection meaning "look!" or "see!", and it has a second life as a noun meaning "a low" or "a lower level." The two senses have different roots. The interjection comes from Middle English, where it was a corruption of "lok" or "loke," the imperative of "look," and it was often used in phrases like "lo we!" (look we!). Over time the spoken "look" shrank into the single short sound "lo," which survives today mainly in archaic or religious English, as in "lo and behold." The noun is a separate word, a variant of "low," used in the sense of a lowered level or position. Its roots lie in the older English word for something low to the ground, which is why the two spellings and senses are often confused.

Synonyms: behold, look, see