Woo

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /wuː/

Definitions

1. To attempt to gain someone's romantic interest or affection ; to try to convince someone to support or agree with a proposition
2. To court or try to win the love or favor of a person usually for marriage or a romantic relationship ; to make efforts to persuade or attract backing or approval
3. To seek to establish a romantic connection with someone by showing interest and kindness ; to endeavor to influence someone's decision or opinion through persuasion

Etymology: Old English "wōgian" meant "to woo, court, marry," and its ancestry is murky. One possible link runs to "wōg" or "wōh," meaning "bending" or "crookedness," so that to woo someone was originally to bend or incline them toward yourself. The idea is an attractive guess rather than a settled fact, since the word's exact origin is uncertain. The word came into Middle English as "wowen" or "woȝen," and it has kept its courtship sense for centuries. Its relative in Scots, "wow," shows the same meaning, so the sense of courting has been stable from Old English onward. The extension to persuading someone's opinion or decision came later, as the courtship sense of gently drawing a person toward you broadened into a general figure for winning anyone over by patient, charming effort.

Synonyms: court, flatter, entice, seek, charm

Antonyms: repulse, alienate, reject, dismiss, displease