Wawa

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A term used to designate a certain convenience store chain primarily located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States; a colloquial expression sometimes used to imitate the sound a duck makes; in some cultures, a familiar or affectionate word for a young child or baby
2. Refers to a popular regional retail store offering food and fuel services; imitates the quacking noise of waterfowl; also serves as an endearing nickname for infants or toddlers in various languages
3. Identifies a well-known convenience outlet serving customers with snacks and gasoline; mimics the characteristic sound made by ducks; acts as a tender label for little ones in certain cultural contexts

Etymology: Among the most surprising things about this word is that its nursery sense probably came first. "Wawa" is a shortened, simplified form of "water," the kind of doubled syllable that small children find easy to say and that adults picked up in baby talk. From there it became a common endearment for infants and toddlers in various languages, and the same baby-talk sound is what gives the quacking imitation its character. The duck and goose senses are less certain. Some suggest a link to "wavey," an old name for the snow goose, though the connection is only a possibility. Whether the goose name lies behind the quacking sense or the sound simply echoes it is not settled. The retail store is a separate, later use. A regional chain took the name for its stores, which sell food and fuel, and the name became attached to that business in its home region.

Synonyms: cuckoo bee, wasp