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

Ö

Ö


Ö U+00D6, Ö
LATIN CAPITAL LETTER O WITH DIAERESIS
Composition: O [U+004F] + ̈ [U+0308]
← Õ
[U+00D5] 		Latin-1 Supplement × →
[U+00D7]
See also: Appendix:Variations of "o"

Translingual

Letter

Ö upper case (lower case ö)

  1. The letter O with a diaeresis.
  2. The letter O with an umlaut.

See also

Azeri

Letter

Ö upper case (lower case ö)

  1. The twenty-second letter of the Azeri alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

Finnish

Letter

Ö ‎(upper case, lower case ö)

  1. The twenty-eighth letter of the Finnish alphabet, called öö and written in the Latin script.

Derived terms

See also

German Sign Language

Etymology

A variation of the sign for "O".

Production

This one-handed GSL sign is produced as follows:

  • Posture the dominant hand in the “O” shape, then move it downwards.

Letter

  1. the letter Ö

Turkish

Letter

Ö ‎(upper case, lower case ö)

  1. The nineteenth letter of the Turkish alphabet, called ö and written in the Latin script.

See also

ö

ö

ö U+00F6, ö
LATIN SMALL LETTER O WITH DIAERESIS
Composition: o [U+006F] + ̈ [U+0308]
← õ
[U+00F5] 		Latin-1 Supplement ÷ →
[U+00F7]
See also: Appendix:Variations of "o"

Translingual

Letter

ö lower case (upper case Ö)

  1. The letter o with a diaeresis above itself.
  2. The letter o with an umlaut above itself.

See also

Azeri

Letter

ö lower case (upper case Ö)

  1. The twenty-second letter of the Azeri alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

Estonian

Letter

ö ‎(lower case, upper case Ö)

  1. The twenty-ninth letter of the Estonian alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Finnish

Pronunciation

Letter

ö ‎(lower case, upper case Ö)

  1. The twenty-ninth letter of the Finnish alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Hungarian

Letter

ö ‎(lower case, upper case Ö)

  1. a letter of the Hungarian alphabet.

See also

Swedish

Pronunciation

  • Rhymes: -øː
Letter name
  • IPA(key): /øː/
Phoneme
  • IPA(key): /øː/, /œ/

Etymology 1

Letter

ö ‎(lower case, upper case Ö)

  1. The last letter of the Swedish alphabet, pronunced /øː/ when long, /œ/ when short, [œ̞ː] when long and before r, and [œ̞] when short and before r.
    Det är två ön i "Höör".‎
    There are two ö in "Höör".
Declension
Inflection of ö 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative ö öet ön öna
Genitive ös öets öns önas

Etymology 2

From Old Swedish ø, from Old Norse ey, from Proto-Germanic *awjō, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ekʷeh₂ ‎(“water”). Cognate with å ‎(“stream”).

Noun

ö c

  1. an island
    Gotland är den största ön i Östersjön.‎
    Gotland is the largest island in the Baltic Sea.
Declension
Inflection of ö 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative ö ön öar öarna
Genitive ös öns öars öarnas
Compounds
See also

Turkish

Letter

ö ‎(lower case, upper case Ö)

  1. The nineteenth letter of the Turkish alphabet, called ö and written in the Latin script.

See also

Noun

ö

  1. The name of the Latin-script letter Ö/ö.

See also

Turkmen

Pronunciation

  • (phoneme) IPA(key): /ø/, /øː/

Letter

ö ‎(upper case Ö)

  1. The nineteenth letter of the Turkmen alphabet, called ö and written in the Latin script.

See also

Veps

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *öö, from Proto-Finno-Ugric *üje.

Noun

ö

  1. night

Inflection

Inflection of ö
nominative sing. ö
genitive sing. ön
partitive sing. öd
partitive plur. öid
singular plural
nominative ö öd
accusative ön öd
genitive ön öiden
partitive öd öid
essive-instructive ön öin
translative öks öikš
inessive ös öiš
elative öspäi öišpäi
illative ? öihe
adessive öl öil
ablative ölpäi öilpäi
allative öle öile
abessive öta öita
comitative önke öidenke
prolative ödme öidme
approximative I önno öidenno
approximative II önnoks öidennoks
egressive önnopäi öidennopäi
terminative I ? öihesai
terminative II ölesai öilesai
terminative III össai —
additive I ? öihepäi
additive II ölepäi öilepäi

Derived terms

  • öine
  • keskö
  • pol'ö
  • südäinö
  • öbok
  • ölipikaine
  • öläpäk
  • öpu
  • ösija
  • ösoba

References

  • Zajceva, N. G.; Mullonen, M. I. (2007), “ночь”, in Uz’ venä-vepsläine vajehnik / Novyj russko-vepsskij slovarʹ [New Russian–Veps Dictionary], Petrozavodsk: Periodika

Similar Results