ho

{{11}}ho (interj.) exclamation of surprise, etc., c.1300; as an exclamation calling attention or demanding silence, late 14c. Used after the name of a place to which attention is called (Cf. Westward-Ho) it dates from 1590s, originally a cry of boatmen, etc., announcing departures for a particular destination. Ho-ho-ho expressing laughter is recorded from mid-12c.

{{12}}ho (n.) by 1999, Amer.Eng. slang, representing a ghetto pronunciation of WHORE (Cf. whore).