An exclamation of disgust, distaste, or mild alarm. Used to express revulsion or acknowledgment of something unpleasant.
Onomatopoeia representing a natural sound of disgust or gagging, similar to 'ugh' or 'yuck.' First recorded in American English in the mid-20th century, likely evolved from natural vocal expressions of revulsion or the sound of choking.
'Ack' is a perfect example of how humans turn involuntary physical responses into communication - it started as the actual sound people make when disgusted and evolved into a deliberate word. It's also been adopted in computing as 'ACK' (acknowledge), showing how informal expressions can migrate into technical jargon.
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