cooee

Where does the word "cooee" come from? It comes from Dharug guu-wi, and was adopted directly into English (1790s).

Cooee’s story begins in Dharug: guu-wi meant “come here, a signal call.” A loud, far-carrying call used to attract attention across distance. It reached English by 1790s as cooee. Dharug for 'come here'; first recorded in a 1790 vocabulary of the Sydney language compiled by early colonists, then used as a bush call across Australia. Today, cooee means a loud, far-carrying call used to attract attention, especially in the Australian bush.

1. Stage 1 · Dharug · 1700s guu-wi "come here, a signal call", a loud, far-carrying call used to attract attention across distance.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1790s cooee "a loud call used to attract attention over a distance", Dharug for 'come here'; first recorded in a 1790 vocabulary of the Sydney language compiled by early colonists, then used as a bush call across Australia.