lawd
Southern surprise exclamation
Lawd is an informal spelling of "Lord" that represents a drawn-out, emphatic pronunciation, particularly associated with Southern American English and African American Vernacular English.
It appears most often in expressions of surprise, exasperation, or amusement: Lawd have mercy, what happened here?
The spelling captures the vowel sound shift and dramatic emphasis that speakers use when reacting to something shocking or overwhelming.
It has gained wider use through social media and memes.
Exclamation of surprise
- surpriseUnexpected event causing astonishment
- shockViolent sudden disturbance
- amazementOverwhelming surprise and wonder
- disbeliefRejection of truth claims
astonishment · mercy · heavens · goodness · Jesus · wow · damn · whoa
Supreme spiritual authority
- prayerAddress to deity
- SouthernOf the region below
- gospelSacred choral tradition
- churchPlace of Christian worship
preacher · sermon · praise · worship · spiritual · Baptist · testimony · blessing
Everyday regional speech
- dialectRegional language variety
- SouthernOf the region below
- colloquialCasual, everyday language
- slangInformal in-group vocabulary
informal · expression · African American · regional · accent · drawl · phonetic · spelling
oh my
Exclamation of surprise
- surpriseUnexpected event causing astonishment
- shockViolent sudden disturbance
- amazementOverwhelming surprise and wonder
disbelief · astonishment · mercy · heavens · goodness · Jesus · wow · damn · whoa · incredulity
God
Supreme spiritual authority
church · preacher · sermon · praise · worship · spiritual · Baptist · testimony · blessing · hallelujah
vernacular
Everyday regional speech
- dialectRegional language variety
- SouthernOf the region below
- colloquialCasual, everyday language
slang · informal · expression · African American · regional · accent · drawl · phonetic · spelling · pronunciation
lawdLord
Honorific for nobility
God · dear Lord · goodness gracious · my word · heavens
lawdLord
Honorific for nobility
God · the Almighty · Heavenly Father · Yahweh · Jehovah
- landlord-tenant lawRules governing rental relationships
- law lordBritish appellate peer-judge