Etymograph

English

ope

Representing oh pronounced with the mouth snapped closed at the end (IPA⁽ᵏᵉʸ⁾: /oʊp/, [oʊp̚]) (excrescent /p/); therefore oh + -p.

The story

Representing oh pronounced with the mouth snapped closed at the end (IPA⁽ᵏᵉʸ⁾: /oʊp/, [oʊp̚]) (excrescent /p/); therefore oh + -p.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Another origin of ope

  1. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*upp‘up’uncertain
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*upanaz‘open’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*opan‘open’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150open
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ope‘open’
  6. Englishtodayope

Today it means

intj An exclamation of surprise; oops.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “ope”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / ope

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