A child's word or onomatopoeia for a dog or the sound a dog makes; also used humorously or derogatorily for a dog.
Onomatopoeia directly imitating the sound a dog makes; 'bow-wow' has been used in English since at least the 16th century as a natural imitation of barking.
Almost every language has its own version of a dog's bark onomatopoeia—English speakers hear 'bow-wow,' Japanese speakers hear 'wan-wan,' and French speakers hear 'ouaf-ouaf'—showing how cultural and linguistic patterns shape even our perception of animal sounds.
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