Definition of pooh

The word "Pooh" as used to describe the beloved children's character comes from a rather unusual source. The fictional bear, first introduced in A.A. Milne's collection of children's poems titled "When We Were Very Young" in 1924, is named after a swan. In the opening poem of the book, "Teddy Bear", Milne's son Christopher Robin has a mispronunciation of the German word for swan ("Schwan" becomes "sitten" and then "soon"): "Teddy's grumpy,," Christopher Robin told his father. "Yes,' said Pooh," reported Milne. "Teddy's grumpy, but it's all right—'cause he's a—Bear." The following year, in Milne's second book "Winnie-the-Pooh," the name is officially given to the bear and is explained to be the result of a mishearing of swan ("'Well,' said Pooh,' what I like best,' said Pooh very slowly because referring to himself in the third person was so poetical, 'is aAuthor' which is the Hebrew word for--' "' 'Christopher Robin interrupted him, 'Forbezzy bears,' he said eagerly," according to Milne). Thus, the famous character Pooh-Bear gets its origin from a mistaken understanding of German and a playful Shakespearean license with Old Testament references, resulting in the affectionate and enduringly popular name we know today.