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ouch

interj.
A1 Beginner US //ˈaʊtʃ// UK //ˈaʊtʃ// ouch Informal Slang

interj. a short cry you make when you feel sudden pain. You say it to show that something hurts right now.

interj. an exclamation uttered in response to sudden physical pain or discomfort.


SIMPLE

Ouch! I hit my toe on the table.

CONTEXTUAL

She cried out, 'Ouch!' when the hot coffee spilled on her hand.

COMPLEX

The sharp sting of the antiseptic drew a sharp 'Ouch!' from the patient, though he remained otherwise still.

Etymology 1

Uncertain. Some sources say the interjection is attested since 1838 (and specifically in American English) and derives ultimately from German autsch, perhaps specifically via Pennsylvania German outch (“cry of pain”), as early attestations of the interjection are from Pennsylvania. However, others say the interjection is a "mere" or "natural" exclamation attested since the mid 1600s, and the 1933 OED cites one instance of a verb "ouch" in 1654, "Sancho Pancas Runs Ouching round the mountaine like a ranck-Asse".

Etymology 2

Variant forms.

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