Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

O

O

(ō)
.
1.
O, the fifteenth letter of the English alphabet, derives its form, value, and name from the Greek O, through the Latin. The letter came into the Greek from the Phœnician, which possibly derived it ultimately from the Egyptian. Etymologically, the letter o is most closely related to a, e, and u; as in E. bone, AS. bān; E. stone, AS. stān; E. broke, AS. brecan to break; E. bore, AS. beran to bear; E. dove, AS. dūfe; E. toft, tuft; tone, tune; number, F. nombre.
The letter o has several vowel sounds, the principal of which are its long sound, as in bone, its short sound, as in nod, and the sounds heard in the words orb, son, do (feod), and wolf (book). In connection with the other vowels it forms several digraphs and diphthongs. See Guide to Pronunciation , §§ 107-129.
2.
Among the ancients, O was a mark of triple time, from the notion that the ternary, or number 3, is the most perfect of numbers, and properly expressed by a circle, the most perfect figure.
O was also anciently used to represent 11: with a dash over it (Ō), 11,000.

O

(ō)
,
Noun.
;
pl.
O’s
or
Oes
(ōz)
.
1.
The letter O, or its sound.
“Mouthing out his hollow oes and aes.”
Tennyson.
2.
Something shaped like the letter O; a circle or oval.
“This wooden O [Globe Theater]”.
Shak.
3.
A cipher; zero.
[R.]
Thou art an
O
without a figure.
Shakespeare

O

(ō)
,
Adj.
[See
One
.]
One.
[Obs.]
Chaucer.
“Alle thre but o God.”
Piers Plowman.

O

(ō)
,
int
erj.
An exclamation used in calling or directly addressing a person or personified object; also, as an emotional or impassioned exclamation expressing pain, grief, surprise, desire, fear, etc.
For ever,
O
Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.
Ps. cxix. 89.
O
how love I thy law ! it is my meditation all the day.
Ps. cxix. 97.
☞ O is frequently followed by an ellipsis and that, an in expressing a wish: “O [I wish] that Ishmael might live before thee!”
Gen. xvii. 18
; or in expressions of surprise, indignation, or regret: “O [it is sad] that such eyes should e'er meet other object!”
Sheridan Knowles.
☞ A distinction between the use of O and oh is insisted upon by some, namely, that O should be used only in direct address to a person or personified object, and should never be followed by the exclamation point, while Oh (or oh) should be used in exclamations where no direct appeal or address to an object is made, and may be followed by the exclamation point or not, according to the nature or construction of the sentence. Some insist that oh should be used only as an interjection expressing strong feeling. The form O, however, is, it seems, the one most commonly employed for both uses by modern writers and correctors for the press. “O, I am slain!”
Shak.
“O what a fair and ministering angel!” “O sweet angel !”
Longfellow.
O
for a kindling touch from that pure flame!
Wordsworth.
But she is in her grave, – and
oh

The difference to me!
Wordsworth.
Oh
for a lodge in some vast wilderness!
Cowper.
We should distinguish between the sign of the vocative and the emotional interjection, writing
O
for the former, and
oh
for the latter.
Earle.
O dear
, and
O dear me!
[corrupted fr. F.
O Dieu!
or It.
O Dio!
O God!
O Dio mio!
O my God!
Wyman
.]
,
exclamations expressive of various emotions, but usually promoted by surprise, consternation, grief, pain, etc.

Webster 1828 Edition

O

O

is the fifteenth letter, and the fourth vowel in the English Alphabet. The shape of this letter seems to have been taken from the circular configuration of the lips in uttering the sound. It corresponds in figure with the Coptic O, and nearly with the Syriac initial and final vau, and the Ethiopic ain. In words derived from the oriental languages, it often represents the vau of those languages, and sometimes the ain; the original sound of the latter being formed deep in the throat, and with a greater aperture of the mouth.
In English, O has a long sound, as in tone, hone, groan, cloke, roll, droll; a short sound, as in lot plod, rod, song, lodge. The sound of oo is shortened in words ending in a close articulation, as in book and foot.
The long sound of O, is usually denoted by e, at the end of a word or syllable, as in bone, lonely; or by a servile a, as in moan, foal. It is generally long before ll, as in roll; but it is short in doll, loll, and in words of more syllables than one, as in folly, volley.
As a numeral, O was sometimes used by the ancients for 11, and with a dash over it for 11,000.
Among the ancients, O was a mark of tripe time, from the notion that the ternary or number 3, is the most perfect of numbers, and properly expressed by a circle, the most perfect figure.

O

is often used as an exclamation, expressing a wish.

O

, were he present.
It sometimes expresses surprise. Shakespeare uses O for a circle or oval.
Within this wooden O.

Definition 2024

Ó

Ó

Ó U+00D3, Ó
LATIN CAPITAL LETTER O WITH ACUTE
Composition: O [U+004F] + ́ [U+0301]
← Ò
[U+00D2] 		Latin-1 Supplement Ô →
[U+00D4]

Translingual

Letter

Ó upper case (lower case ó)

  1. The letter O with an acute accent above it.

See also

Irish

Etymology

See ó.

Pronunciation

Noun

Ó m ‎(genitive singular Uí, nominative plural Uí)

  1. form of ó used in surnames.

Declension

Usage notes

  • Forms with the definite article are not found.
  • The form Ó triggers h-prothesis of a following vowel.
  • The form Uí triggers lenition of a following consonant.
  • The form Uíbh triggers no mutation of a following sound.

Related terms

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical Eclipsis with h-prothesis with t-prothesis
Ó nÓ hÓ tÓ
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

ó

ó

ó U+00F3, ó
LATIN SMALL LETTER O WITH ACUTE
Composition: o [U+006F] + ́ [U+0301]
← ò
[U+00F2] 		Latin-1 Supplement ô →
[U+00F4]
See also: Appendix:Variations of "o"

Translingual

Letter

ó lower case (upper case Ó)

  1. The letter o with an acute accent.

See also

Czech

Letter

ó ‎(lower case, upper case Ó)

  1. The 24th letter of the Czech alphabet, after o and before p.

Faroese

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɔuː/
  • Homophone: óð

Letter

ó ‎(upper case Ó)

  1. The eighteenth letter of the Faroese alphabet, called ó and written in the Latin script.

See also

Galician

Alternative forms

Etymology

From contraction of preposition a ‎(“to, towards”) + masculine definite article o ‎(“the”)

Contraction

ó m sg

  1. Alternative spelling of ao

Hungarian

Etymology

From Proto-Uralic *oma ‎(“old, previous”).[1] Cognate with Finnish ammoin ‎(“very long ago”), Estonian ammu ‎(“once upon a time, long ago”), Northern Sami oames ‎(“past, old”), and Erzya умок ‎(umok, “a long time ago”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈoː]

Adjective

ó (comparative óbb, superlative legóbb)

  1. old, ancient (especially used in compound words, such as ókor 'antiquity')
  2. in previous

Declension

This adjective needs an inflection-table template.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms

Interjection

ó

  1. oh!
    Ó, értem már!‎
    Oh, I understand now!

See also

Verb

ó

  1. (archaic) to protect, guard

Conjugation

Derived terms

References

  1. ↑ Álgu etymological database, entry #79941 (language: Proto-Uralic, word: oma)

Icelandic

Interjection

ó!

  1. oh!, ah!
    Ó ókei, gangi þér vel.‎
    Oh ok, good luck.
  2. O, oh, the Icelandic vocative particle, used before a pronoun or the name of a person or persons to mark direct address
    Ó, góðu menn! Heyr mín orð.‎
    O good men! Heed my words.
    • Lofsöngur:
      Ó, guð vors lands.
      Oh, our country's God.

See also

Irish

Alternative forms

  • ua (archaic)

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [oː]

Etymology 1

From ua, from Old Irish úa ‎(“grandson, descendant”).

Noun

ó m ‎(genitive ó, nominative plural óí, genitive in surnames uí, nominative plural in historical sept names uí)

  1. (archaic) grandson, grandchild; descendant
Declension
Forms in surnames and sept names
Case Singular Plural
Nominative ó uí
Genitive uí ó
Dative ó uíbh

Synonyms

Related terms

Etymology 2

From Old Irish ó, úa.

Preposition

ó ‎(plus dative, triggers lenition)

  1. of, from (indicating origin)
    ó ghleann go gleann‎ ― from glen to glen
Inflection
Derived terms
  • bí ó ‎(“need”, verb)

Etymology 3

From Old Irish úa, from Proto-Celtic *awa, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew ‎(“away”).

Conjunction

ó (triggers lenition)

  1. since (temporal)
    ó chuala mé an scéala‎ ― since I heard the news
  2. after
    bliain ó rugadh é‎ ― a year after he was born
  3. from the time when
    ó bhaintear an féar go bhfuil sé tirim‎ ― from the time the hay is cut until it is dry
  4. once
    ó bhrisfear é‎ ― once it is broken
  5. since (causal), inasmuch as
    ó tá mé liom féin‎ ― since I am alone
Derived terms
  • ós ‎(“since it is”)

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical Eclipsis with h-prothesis with t-prothesis
ó n-ó hó unchanged
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

  • "ó" in Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla, An Gúm, 1977, by Niall Ó Dónaill.
  • “úa, óa, ó” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.
  • “1 ó” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.

Mandarin

Romanization

ó (Zhuyin ㄛˊ)

  1. Pinyin transcription of 哦

Middle Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish au, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ows-; cognate with English ear and Latin auris.

Noun

ó n

  1. (archaic, poetic, anatomy) ear
  2. some part of a cloak
  3. some part of a shield, possibly a spike or boss
  4. some part of a chessboard, possibly rings or handles for lifting
  5. some part of a pitcher or vessel for liquor, possibly a curved, earlike handle

Old Irish

Conjunction

ó

  1. since

Preposition

ó

  1. Alternative form of úa
    ó thurcbáil co fuinud‎ ― from sunrise to sunset

References

  • “1 ó” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.
  • “2 ó” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.

Portuguese

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈɔ/

Etymology 1

Letter

ó ‎(lower case, upper case Ó)

  1. The letter o with an acute accent
    • 2003, Lya Wyler (translator), J. K. Rowling (English author), Harry Potter e a Ordem da Fênix (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix), Rocco, page 294:
      […] o único professor presente quando entraram [na sala de aula] era Binns, [...] preparando-se para continuar sua monótona lengalenga sobre a guerra dos gigantes.
      [...] the only present teacher when they entered [the classroom] was Binns, [...] preparing to continue his monotonous explanation about the giants' war.

Etymology 2

Noun

ó m (plural ós)

  1. The name of the Latin-script letter O/o.
Synonyms

Etymology 3

Interjection

ó

  1. o; hey (vocative particle)
    Ó Senhor, dai-me forças!‎
    O Lord, give me strength.
Alternative forms

Etymology 4

First syllable of olha or olhe.

Interjection

ó

  1. (colloquial) look!

See also

Spanish

Conjunction

ó

  1. Obsolete spelling of o

Usage notes

In many texts dating back to the pre-reform period use ó in place of o for all uses. Through the 20th century, it continued to see regular use near numerals to avoid confusion with a zero: 2 ó 3. All such uses are now considered nonstandard.

Taos

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈʔɑ/

Verb

ó ‎(basic stem form)

  1. wash

Related terms

Tetum

Pronoun

ó

  1. you

Upper Sorbian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ʊ/

Letter

ó ‎(lower case, upper case Ó)

  1. The twenty-third letter of the Upper Sorbian alphabet, called ó and written in the Latin script.

See also

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