ooooo-oo.

n.  the toot of a train’s whistle.

<[H]e was making a chugging noise in his throat like some kind of engine, and as he turned the corner he let out a piercing “Ooooo-oo” (it was a train whistle, he told her afterwards) so he did not hear her call.  —Mary Norton, The Borrowers.>

ooooo-ooooo.

n.  a chant sung by warriors in a bonding ceremony to prepare for battle.

<[W]e swayed back and forth, heads leaning to one side.  “Ooooo-ooooo,” we whispered in a low growl.  “Ooooo-ooooo,” the sound came out from deep inside, sending a shiver along the line of arms.  —Tobias Schneebaum, Keep the River on Your Right.>

ooooo-oooooo.

n.  a long whisper of astonishment.

<[A] flash of flame appeared between my hands and shrieks of astonishment went up and long whispers of Ooooo-oooooo and two fingers reached out and closed themselves on the fire and a shout of pain gave it reality, and they backed away an instant but returned and I lit another.  Ooooo-oooooo, they whispered.  —Tobias Schneebaum, Keep the River on Your Right.>

ooooo-oooooooo-ooooooo.

n.  a headhunter chief’s tender whisper to a sacred syrinx aruanus shell, as in Where the Spirits Dwell: An Odyssey in the New Guinea Jungle by Tobias Schneelbaum.

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