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

O

O


O U+004F, O
LATIN CAPITAL LETTER O
← N
[U+004E] 		Basic Latin P →
[U+0050]
See also: o, ö, ő, and Appendix:Variations of "o"

Translingual

Letter

O upper case (lower case o)

  1. The fifteenth letter of the basic modern Latin alphabet.

See also

Symbol

O

  1. (chemistry) Symbol for oxygen.
  2. (mathematics) big O: a class of functions asymptotically bounded from above by a specific function, up to a constant factor
  3. (linear algebra, group theory) orthogonal group

See also

Other representations of O:

English

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /əʊ/
  • (US) IPA(key): /oʊ/

Letter

O ‎(upper case, lower case o, plural Os or O's)

  1. The fifteenth letter of the English alphabet, called o and written in the Latin script.

Noun

O ‎(uncountable)

  1. A blood type that lacks A or B antigens and may only receive transfusions of similar type O blood, but may donate to all (neglecting Rh factor). Synonym: universal donor.
See also

Number

O ‎(upper case, lower case o)

  1. The ordinal number fifteenth, derived from this letter of the English alphabet, called o and written in the Latin script.

Etymology 2

English O, o is attested in William Tyndale's 1525 New Testament Translation, as a translation of Ancient Greek ὦ, Latin o. (Compare the Old English particles èalà, æàlà, ǽlà, hèlà.) In Middle English, O is found in Acts 13:10, Romans 9:20 and Galatians 3:1, and ò is found in Romans 2:1,3, of John Wycliff's Newe Testament (1382). Compare la (a particle for introducing a statement or expressing surprise), from Old English; compare also English lo, oh.

Compare the Old Saxon gloss o (950s) of the Lambeth MS (957) of the Gallican Psalter and the ó, o (post-1000) of the Durham Hymns, regularly seen in the redundant forms "o eala þu" and "ó eala þu" by proper names.

Compare also the Anglo-Norman O (about 1200) of the manuscripts of Saints Juliana and Katherine, and other religious writs.

Particle

O

  1. The English vocative particle, used for direct address.
    • 1525, Tyndale's translation of Romans 2.1,3:
      Therefore arte thou inexcusable o man whosoever thou be that iudgest. For in that same where in thou iudgest another, thou cõdemnest thysilfe. For thou that iudgest doest evẽ the same silfe thynges. […] Thynkest thou O man that iudgest them which do soche thyngs and yet dost evẽ the very same, that thou shalt escape the iudgemẽt of God?
    • Samuel Taylor Coleridge
      O! the affecting beauty of the death of Cawdor, and the presentimental speech of the king: […]
    • For more examples of usage of this term, see Citations:O.
Usage notes
  • The word O is always written in upper case in modern usage.
  • O is often used in translations from languages which have the vocative case.
  • Although it is not strictly archaic, the particle is sometimes used archaizingly. It conveys a formal or reverential tone.
Derived terms
Translations
Synonyms

Etymology 3

Abbreviation.

Abbreviation

O

  1. (cricket) The number of overs bowled.
  2. (slang) Orgasm. (Often used in the phrase the big O.)
    • 1998 October 17, M6968, “STORY: The Violation of Sunny a wrestling story, by Wonder Mike”, in alt.sex.stories, Usenet, retrieved November 22, 2014:
      Sunny felt some cold and wet press against her pussy, it startled her, then it's tongue went deep inside of her, she had been eaten out before, but never this could, who ever was doing it was a real pro, and had to have the longest tongue in the world it was buried at least three inches inside of her and was taking long, hard strokes, it was trying to get even deeper, it was only seconds before she started shaking from her first O.
    • 1999 March 31, JT aka GF, “Re: mary p., hex and going "downtown"”, in alt.psst.hoy, Usenet, retrieved November 22, 2014:
      Further on, when she's about to reach her first O, the taste turns from no taste to champagne-like.
    • 2010, Lonnie Hicks, Einstein, Religion, Politics and Literature, page 308:
      She thought you could get pregnant from tonguing when kissing; about her first O and how it scared her; how she looked in the mirror afterwards to see if she had changed; about how scared she was when it came time to deliver the baby.
    • 2011 June 14, wtw, “{wtw} - "4someWithFriends" (1/1)”, in alt.sex.stories, Usenet, retrieved November 22, 2014:
      Now my friend was fingering my wife and licking her ****. My wife reached her first O of the night.

Noun

O ‎(uncountable)

  1. (printing) American Library Association abbreviation of octavo, a book size (20-25 cm).
  2. (soccer) Someone associated with Leyton Orient Football Club, as a player, coach, supporter etc.

American Sign Language

Letter

‎(Stokoe O)

  1. The letter O

Azeri

Letter

O upper case (lower case o)

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

See also

Dutch

Pronunciation

  • (letter name): IPA(key): /oː/

Letter

O ‎(capital, lowercase o)

  1. The fifteenth letter of the Dutch alphabet.

Abbreviation

O

  1. Abbreviation of oost; east

See also

  • Previous letter: N
  • Next letter: P

Esperanto

Letter

O ‎(upper case, lower case o)

  1. The nineteenth letter of the Esperanto alphabet, called o and written in the Latin script.

See also

Finnish

Letter

O ‎(upper case, lower case o)

  1. The fifteenth letter of the Finnish alphabet, called oo and written in the Latin script.

See also

French

Pronunciation

  • (letter) IPA(key): /o/

Abbreviation

O

  1. Abbreviation of ouest; west

Letter

O

  1. The fifteenth letter of the French alphabet.

Galician

Abbreviation

O

  1. oeste, occidente (west)

Synonyms

  • (west): W

German

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ʔoː/

Letter

O ‎(upper case, lower case o)

  1. The fifteenth letter of the German alphabet.

Abbreviation

O

  1. Abbreviation of Ost; east

Italian

Pronunciation

  • (name of letter) IPA(key): /ɔ/
  • Homophone: ho
  • (phoneme) IPA(key): /o/, /ɔ/
  • Homophones: o, ho

Letter

O m, f ‎(invariable, lower case o)

  1. The thirteenth letter of the Italian alphabet, called o and written in the Latin script.

See also

Latvian

Etymology

Proposed in 1908 as part of the new Latvian spelling by the scientific commission headed by K. Mīlenbahs, which was accepted and began to be taught in schools in 1909. Prior to that, Latvian had been written in German Fraktur, and sporadically in Cyrillic.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [uə̯], IPA(key): [o], IPA(key): [oː]

Letter

O

O ‎(upper case, lower case o)

  1. The twenty-third letter of the Latvian alphabet, called o and written in the Latin script.

Usage notes

In native Latvian words (and in some older borrowings), o represents the sound of IPA [uə̯] (e.g., otrs [uə̯tɾs]). In more recent borrowings, it represents the original sound of the word, i.e. [o] or [oː] (e.g., opera [oːpeɾa]).

See also

Malay

Pronunciation

  • (Name of letter) IPA(key): [o]
  • (Phoneme) IPA(key): [o], [ɔ]

Letter

O

  1. The fifteenth letter of the Malay alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

Portuguese

Letter

O ‎(upper case, lower case o)

  1. The fifteenth letter of the Portuguese alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

Romanian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /o/

Letter

O (capital, lowercase o)

  1. The eighteenth letter of the Romanian alphabet representing the phoneme /o/. Preceded by N and followed by P.

Usage notes

When followed by the letter a, a diphthong representing the phoneme /o̯a/ is formed, as in foarte /'fo̯ar.te/

Saanich

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɑ/

Letter

O

  1. The twenty-third letter of the Saanich alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

Skolt Sami

Pronunciation

  • (phoneme) IPA(key): /o/

Letter

O ‎(lower case o)

  1. The twenty-fourth letter of the Skolt Sami alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

Slovene

Letter

O ‎(capital, lowercase o)

  1. The 16th letter of the Slovene alphabet. Preceded by N and followed by P.

Somali

Pronunciation

  • (phoneme): IPA(key): /ɔ/, /ɞ/
  • (letter name): IPA(key): /ʔɔ/

Letter

O upper case (lower case o)

  1. The twenty-sixth letter of the Somali alphabet, called o and written in the Latin script.

Usage notes

  • The twenty-sixth letter of the Somali alphabet, which follows Arabic abjad order. It is preceded by I and followed by U.

See also

Spanish

Letter

O ‎(upper case, lower case o)

  1. The 16th letter of the Spanish alphabet.

Abbreviation

O

  1. Abbreviation of oeste; west

Turkish

Letter

O ‎(upper case, lower case o)

  1. The eighteenth letter of the Turkish alphabet, called o and written in the Latin script.

See also

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

Letter

O ‎(upper case, lower case o)

  1. The seventeenth letter of the Vietnamese alphabet, called o or ô and written in the Latin script.

See also

o

o


o U+006F, o
LATIN SMALL LETTER O
← n
[U+006E] 		Basic Latin p →
[U+0070]
See also: Appendix:Variations of "o" and O

Translingual

Letter

o lower case (upper case O)

  1. The fifteenth letter of the basic modern Latin alphabet.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /o/

Symbol

o

  1. (IPA) close-mid back rounded vowel

See also

Other representations of O:

English

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /əʊ/
  • (US) IPA(key): /oʊ/
  • Homophones: oh, owe
  • Rhymes: -əʊ

Letter

o ‎(lower case, upper case O, plural o's)

  1. The fifteenth letter of the English alphabet, called o and written in the Latin script.
See also

Number

o ‎(lower case, upper case O)

  1. The ordinal number fifteenth, derived from this letter of the English alphabet, called o and written in the Latin script.

Noun

o ‎(plural oes)

  1. The name of the Latin-script letter O/o.
  2. A zero (used in reading out numbers).
    It is currently two-o-five in the afternoon (2:05 PM).‎
    The first permanent English settlement in America was in Jamestown in sixteen-o-seven (1607).‎
Alternative forms
See also
Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 2

Interjection

o

  1. (archaic, always capitalized in modern usage) The English vocative particle, used before a pronoun or the name of a person or persons to mark direct address.
    • 2007 (1640), The Bay Psalm Book, Cosimo Classics, p.37, 41 & 46:
      I lift my soule to thee o Lord
      mee,o Iehovah, heare
      In thee, o Lord, I put my trust
  2. Alternative form of oh
Translations

Noun

o

  1. (IRC) Operator
  2. Object, see SVO

Adjective

o

  1. Over

Etymology 3

Alternative spelling of o'

Preposition

o

  1. Alternative form of of

Aragonese

Etymology

From Latin illum, accusative form of ille ‎(“that”).

Article

o m ‎(definite singular)

  1. the
    O río Ebro‎ ― The Ebro River

Usage notes

  • Becomes l' before many words beginning with a vowel.
  • The form lo, either pronounced as lo or ro, can be found after words ending with an -o.
  • Eastern dialects use the form el.

Asturian

Etymology

From Latin aut.

Conjunction

o

  1. or

Azeri

Letter

o lower case (upper case O)

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

See also

Borôro

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈɔ/

Noun

o

  1. tooth

Catalan

Etymology 1

Noun

o f ‎(plural os)

  1. The Latin letter O (lowercase o).

Etymology 2

From Latin aut.

Conjunction

o

  1. or

Crimean Tatar

Pronoun

o ‎(personal)

  1. he, she, it

Pronoun

o ‎(demonstrative)

  1. that

Synonyms

  • (in the northern dialect) anav

Czech

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *o(b), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃ebʰi.

Pronunciation

Preposition

o

  1. about
  2. for

Usage notes

The meaning about is followed by locative case, while the second meaning, for, is followed by accusative case.

Dutch

Pronunciation

  • Rhymes: -oː
  • IPA(key): /oː/

Interjection

o

  1. oh

Letter

o ‎(lower case, upper case O)

  1. The fifteenth letter of the Dutch alphabet.

See also

  • Previous letter: n
  • Next letter: p

Esperanto

Pronunciation

Letter

o ‎(lower case, upper case O)

  1. The nineteenth letter of the Esperanto alphabet, called o and written in the Latin script.

See also

Noun

o ‎(accusative singular o-on, plural o-oj, accusative plural o-ojn)

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

See also

Extremaduran

Conjunction

o

  1. or

Fala

Etymology 1

From Old Portuguese o, from Latin illo ‎(“he”).

Article

o m ‎(plural os, feminine a, feminine plural as)

  1. masculine singular definite article (the)
    • 2000, Domingo Frades Gaspar, Vamus a falal: Notas pâ coñocel y platical en nosa fala, Editora regional da Extremadura, Chapter 1: Lengua Española:
      O términu de Valverdi, mais grandi, limita con Portugal, precisamenti con dois distintius Departamentos, que eran Beira Alta con capital en Guarda, a Beira Baixa con capital en Castelo Branco.
      The Valverde locality, the biggest, borders Portugal, more precisely with two distinct departments, which were Beira Alta with Guarda as its capital, and Beira Baixa with Castelo Branco as its capital.

Etymology 2

From Old Portuguese ou, from Latin aut ‎(“or”).

Conjunction

o

  1. or
    • 2000, Domingo Frades Gaspar, Vamus a falal: Notas pâ coñocel y platical en nosa fala, Editora regional da Extremadura, Theme 6:
      Poin encontralsi, a o millol, hasta “oito” o mais.
      There can be found, at best, up to “eight” or more.

Faroese

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /oː/
  • Homophones: og, ov

Letter

o ‎(upper case O)

  1. The seventeenth letter of the Faroese alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

French

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /o/
  • Rhymes: -o

Letter

o

  1. o (minuscule)

Abbreviation

o

  1. (computing) octet (B (byte))

Derived terms

  • (computing): ko, Mo, Go, To, Po, Eo, Zo, Yo
  • (computing): o/s, ko/s, Mo/s, Go/s, To/s, Po/s, Eo/s, Zo/s, Yo/s

Fula

Etymology 1

Letter

o ‎(lower case, upper case O)

  1. O letter of the Fula alphabet, written in the Latin script.
Usage notes

Etymology 2

Suffix

o ‎(plural ɓe)

  1. Noun class indicator for nouns (singular) having to do with people, and for loan words
Usage notes

Pronoun

o

  1. he, she (third person singular subject pronoun; short form)
Usage notes
  • Common to all varieties of Fula (Fulfulde / Pulaar / Pular).
  • This is used in all conjugations except for affirmative non-accomplished (where the long form is used).
Alternative forms
Related terms
  • omo (second person singular subject pronoun; long form)
  • himo (second person singular subject pronoun; long form; variant in Pular)
  • kanko (emphatic form)
Derived terms
  • makko (possessive pronoun)

Article

o

  1. (definite) the (when it follows the noun)
    Debbo o‎ ― the woman
Usage notes

Determiner

o

  1. (used in indicating someone)
    O debbo‎ ― this/that woman
Usage notes

Galician

Etymology

From Old Portuguese o (compare Portuguese o), from Vulgar Latin lo, *illu, from Latin illum, from ille (with an initial l having disappeared; compare Spanish lo).

Pronunciation

Article

o m sg ‎(feminine singular a, masculine plural os, feminine plural as)

  1. (definite) the

Usage notes

The definite article o (in all its forms) regularly forms contractions when it follows the prepositions a ‎(“to”), con ‎(“with”), de ‎(“of, from”), and en ‎(“in”). For example, con o ("with the") contracts to co, and en o ("in the") contracts to no.

Derived terms

Pronoun

o m accusative (nominative el, oblique el, dative lle)

  1. him (masculine singular third-person personal pronoun)

Usage notes

The third-person direct object pronouns o, os, a, and as, have variant forms prefixed with l- or n-. These alternative forms appear depending on the ending of the preceding word. The l- forms (e.g. lo) are used when the preceding word ends in -r or -s. The n- forms (e.g. no) are used when the preceding word ends in a -u or a diphthong. These alternative forms are then suffixed to the preceding word.

In all other situations, the standard forms of the pronouns are used (o, os, a, as) and are not suffixed to the preceding word.

These direct object pronouns also form contractions when they immediately follow an indirect object pronoun. For example, Dou che o ("I gave you it.") contracts to Dou cho.

Derived terms

Related terms

See also

  • Appendix:Galician pronouns
  • se
  • seu

German

Interjection

o

  1. O
    • 1843, Gallus Schwab, Gebetbuch für katholische Christen, Bamberg, p.45:
      Sei gegrüßet, o Du mein Jesu! Mit tieftster Demuth bete ich Dich an und verehre Dich!

Gothic

Romanization

ō

  1. Romanization of 𐍉

Hawaiian

Conjunction

o

  1. or, lest

Preposition

o

  1. of, belonging to

Usage notes

  • Used for possessions that are inherited, out of personal control, and for things that can be got into (houses, clothes, cars), while a is used for acquired possessions.

Guaraní

Etymology

Short for óga.

Noun

o

  1. house

Ido

Alternative forms

  • od (used before a vowel)

Etymology

From English or, French ou, Italian o, Spanish o.

Conjunction

o

  1. or

Related terms

  • e, ed ‎(“and”)
  • a, ad ‎(“to”)

Italian

Etymology 1

From Latin aut.[1]

Conjunction

o

  1. or
Alternative forms
  • od (used optionally before words beginning with a vowel)

Etymology 2

Verb

o

  1. Misspelling of ho.

References

  1. ↑ Angelo Prati, "Vocabolario Etimologico Italiano", Torino, 1951

Japanese

Romanization

o

  1. rōmaji reading of お
  2. rōmaji reading of オ
  3. rōmaji reading of を
  4. rōmaji reading of ヲ

Ladin

Etymology

From Latin aut.

Conjunction

o

  1. or

Latin

Etymology 1

Letter

o

  1. A letter of the Latin alphabet.

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

Noun

ō ‎(indeclinable)

  1. The name of the letter O.
Coordinate terms

References

  • o in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • o in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • O in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
  • Félix Gaffiot (1934), “o”, in Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Paris: Hachette.
  • Meissner, Carl; Auden, Henry William (1894) Latin Phrase-Book, London: Macmillan and Co.
    • monstrous: o facinus indignum! (Ter. Andr. 1. 1. 118)
    • to take the military oath: sacramentum (o) dicere (vid. sect. XI. 2, note sacramentum...)
  • o in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898) Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • Arthur E. Gordon, The Letter Names of the Latin Alphabet (University of California Press, 1973; volume 9 of University of California Publications: Classical Studies), part III: “Summary of the Ancient Evidence”, page 32: "Clearly there is no question or doubt about the names of the vowels A, E, I, O, U. They are simply long A, long E, etc. (ā, ē, ī, ō, ū). Nor is there any uncertainty with respect to the six mutes B, C, D, G, P, T. Their names are bē, cē, dē, gē, pē, tē (each with a long E). Or about H, K, and Q: they are hā, kā, kū—each, again, with a long vowel sound."

Etymology 3

Interjection

Ō!

  1. o! (vocative particle)
    • 63 BCE, Cicero, Catiline Orations Oratio in Catilinam Prima in Senatu Habita.II
      O tempora, o mores! Senatus haec intellegit, consul videt; hic tamen vivit. Vivit?
      Shame on the age and on its principles! The senate is aware of these things; the consul sees them; and yet this man lives. Lives!
    • 4th century, St Jerome, Vulgate, Judges 3:19
      et reversus de Galgalis ubi erant idola dixit ad regem verbum secretum habeo ad te o rex et ille imperavit silentium egressisque omnibus qui circa eum erant (Then returning from Galgal, where the idols were, he said to the king: I have a secret message to thee, O king. And he commanded silence: and all being gone out that were about him,)
  2. oh!

Latvian

Etymology

Proposed in 1908 as part of the new Latvian spelling by the scientific commission headed by K. Mīlenbahs, which was accepted and began to be taught in schools in 1909. Prior to that, Latvian had been written in German Fraktur, and sporadically in Cyrillic.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [uə̯], IPA(key): [o], IPA(key): [oː]

Letter

O

o ‎(lower case, upper case O)

  1. The twenty-third letter of the Latvian alphabet, called o and written in the Latin script.

Usage notes

In native Latvian words (and in some older borrowings), o represents the sound of IPA [uə̯] (e.g., otrs [uə̯tɾs]). In more recent borrowings, it represents the original sound of the word, i.e. [o] or [oː] (e.g., opera [oːpeɾa]).

See also

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [o]

Noun

o m (invariable)

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

See also

Lithuanian

Etymology

From Proto-Balto-Slavic *ō; compare Proto-Slavic *a ‎(“and, but”). From Proto-Indo-European *h₁od; compare Sanskrit आत् ‎(āt, “afterwards, then, so”), Avestan 𐬁𐬀𐬝 ‎(āat̰, “afterward, then”), perhaps the ablative singular of *h₁e- ‎(“demonstrative pronoun”).

Pronunciation

IPA(key): /o:/

Conjunction

õ

  1. (coordinating, adversative) and, but (used to express binary contrasts)
    Taĩ ne kažkàs, ką̃ víenas gãli darýti, õ kìtas – nè.‎
    It's not something that some people can do and others can't.

Livonian

Pronunciation

  • (phoneme) IPA(key): /o/

Letter

o ‎(upper case O)

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

See also

Malay

Letter

o

  1. The fifteenth letter of the Malay alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

Mandarin

Romanization

o

  1. Nonstandard spelling of ō.
  2. Nonstandard spelling of ó.
  3. Nonstandard spelling of ǒ.
  4. Nonstandard spelling of ò.

Usage notes

  • English transcriptions of Mandarin speech often fail to distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without the appropriate indication of tone.

Maori

Particle

o

  1. of
    2006, Joanne Barker, Sovereignty Matters, page 208:
    In 1979 a gathering of elders at the Waananga kaumatua affirmed te reo Maori “Ko te reo te mauri o te mana Maori” the language is the life principle of Maori mana.

Usage notes

Used instead of a when the possessor has no control over the relationship (inalienable possession).

Middle Low German

Pronunciation

  • Stem vowel: ȫ²
    • (originally) IPA(key): /œːj/

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *awjō. Cognate with Old Norse ey (Swedish ö, Norwegian øy).

Noun

ö

  1. island

Navajo

Letter

o

  1. The twenty-second letter of the Navajo alphabet:
    o = /o˨/
    ǫ = /õ˨/
    ó = /o˥/
    ǫ́ = /õ˥/
    oo = /oː˨˨/
    ǫǫ = /õː˨˨/
    óo = /oː˥˨/
    ǫ́ǫ = /õː˥˨/
    oó = /oː˨˥/
    ǫǫ́ = /õː˨˥/
    óó = /oː˥˥/
    ǫ́ǫ́ = /õː˥˥/

Neapolitan

Etymology

From Latin aut.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /oː/

Particle

o

  1. or

Norwegian

Pronunciation

  • (letter name): IPA(key): /uː/
  • (phoneme): IPA(key): /uː/, /ʊ/, /ɔ/

Letter

o

  1. The 15th letter of the Norwegian alphabet.

Polish

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *o(b), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃ebʰi

Pronunciation

Preposition

o

  1. (+ locative) about (concerning)
    Opowiedz mi o twojej pracy.‎
    Tell me about your job.
    Ta książka jest o potędze miłości.‎
    This book is about the power of love.
  2. (+ locative) at (telling the time)
    Spotkajmy się o piątej po południu.‎
    Let's meet at five PM.
  3. (+ locative, used in descriptions) with
    Była piękną kobietą o długich jasnych włosach.‎
    She was a beautiful woman with long fair hair.
    chłopiec o zielonych oczach‎
    a boy with green eyes; a green-eyed boy
  4. (+ accusative) on, against
    Nie opierajcie się o te drzwi.‎
    Don't lean on this door.
    Dziewczynka uderzyła głową o stół.‎
    The little girl hit her head on the table.
  5. (+ accusative) for
    Weronika poprosiła mnie wczoraj o pomoc.‎
    Veronica asked me for help yesterday.
    Walczyliśmy dzielnie o naszą wolność.‎
    We were bravely fighting for our freedom.

Portuguese

Pronunciation

  • (letter): IPA(key): /ˈɔ/
  • (article, pronoun): IPA(key): /u/, /ʊ/

Etymology 1

Letter

o ‎(lower case, upper case O)

  1. The fifteenth letter of the Portuguese alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

Etymology 2

From Old Portuguese o (compare Galician o), from Vulgar Latin lo, *illu, from Latin illum, from ille (with an initial l having disappeared; compare Spanish lo).

Article

o m ‎(feminine a, masculine plural os, feminine plural as)

  1. the (masculine singular definite article)
    • 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 75:
      Não o perdoou por abandonar o serviço em vez de seguir você.
      She didn't forgive him for abandoning his service instead of following you.
    • 2005, Lya Wyler (translator), J. K. Rowling (English author), Harry Potter e o Enigma do Príncipe (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince), Rocco, page 135:
      Não vi o tempo passar.
      I didn't notice the time passing.
    • 2005, Lya Wyler (translator), J. K. Rowling (English author), Harry Potter e o Enigma do Príncipe (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince), Rocco, page 361:
      [...] disse o professor com um sorrisinho [...]
      [...] the teacher said with a little smile [...]

Usage notes

Usage of the definite article in Portuguese has some differences from that of English, such as:

  • it can be used with abstract mass nouns:
    O amor é melhor que a guerra.‎
    Love is better than war.
  • it can be optionally used with adjectival possessive pronouns, and mandatorily with substantival possessive pronouns:
    (O) meu livro é melhor que o seu.‎
    My book is better than yours.
  • it can be used with personal names:
    O João foi até a cidade.‎
    John went to the city.
  • it can be used without a possessive pronoun when referring to a relative:
    O pai está viajando.‎
    (My) dad is travelling.
    Ele não gosta da tia.‎
    He doesn’t like his aunt.
  • more often than in English, it used with a singular to indicate a generic example of, or the noun in general:
    O carvalho é uma árvore grande.‎
    The oak is a big tree.

Quotations

For usage examples of this term, see Citations:o.

See also
Portuguese articles (edit)
Singular Plural
Masculine Feminine Masculine Feminine
Definite articles
(the)		 o a os as
Indefinite articles
(a, an; some)		 um uma uns umas

Pronoun

o m ‎(personal)

  1. him, it (as a direct object; as an indirect object, see lhe; after prepositions, see ele).
    • 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 75:
      Não o perdoou por abandonar o serviço em vez de seguir você.
      She didn't forgive him for abandoning his service instead of following you.
    • 2007, Lya Wyler (translator), J. K. Rowling (English author), Harry Potter e as Relíquias da Morte (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows), Rocco, page 287:
      Por que, então, ela o conduzira àquele lugar?
      Why, then, did she lead him to that place?

Quotations

For usage examples of this term, see Citations:o.

Usage notes
  • Becomes -lo after verb forms ending in -r, -s, or -z, the pronouns nos and vos, and the adverb eis; the ending letter causing the change disappears.
    After ver: Posso vê-lo?‎ ― May I see him/it?
    After conheces: Conhece-lo?.‎ ― Do you know him/it?
    After fiz: Fi-lo ficar contente.‎ ― I made him/it become happy.
    After nos: Deu-no-lo relutantemente.‎ ― He gave him/it to us reluctantly.
    After eis: Ei-lo!‎ ― Behold him/it!
  • Becomes -no after a nasal sound:
    Detêm-no como prisioneiro.‎ ― They detain him/it as a prisoner.
    Põe-no aqui.‎ ― Put him/it here.
  • In the colloquial speech of some parts of Brazil, it is being abandoned in favor of the nominative form ele.
    Eu o vi. → Eu vi ele.‎ ― I saw him/it.
See also
Portuguese personal pronouns (edit)
Number Person Nominative
(subject)		 Accusative
(direct object)		 Dative
(indirect object)		 Oblique Oblique
with com 		Non-declining
m f m f m and f m f m f m f
Singular First eu me mim comigo
Second tu te ti contigo você
o senhor a senhora
Third ele ela o
(lo, no)		 a
(la, na)		 lhe ele ela com ele com ela o mesmo a mesma
se (reflexive) si (reflexive) consigo (reflexive)
Plural First nós nos nós connosco (Portugal)
conosco (Brazil) 		a gente
Second vós vos vós convosco vocês
os senhores as senhoras
Third eles elas os
(los, nos)		 as
(las, nas)		 lhes eles elas com eles com elas os mesmos as mesmas
se (reflexive) si (reflexive) consigo (reflexive)
Indefinite se (reflexive) si (reflexive) consigo (reflexive)

Rapa Nui

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /o/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Polynesian *o.

Particle

o

  1. possessive particle marking an inalienable possession; of
    2008, Sharon Chester, A wildlife guide to Chile, page 15:
    Polynesians are thought to have arrived at Easter Island around AD 800. They called the island Rapa Nui, or more familiarly Te Pito o Te Henua, the Navel of the World.

Usage notes

Inserted before the relevant pronoun. Only for possessions like hands or parents that do not have the ability to no longer be yours; otherwise, use a.

Etymology 2

From Spanish o ‎(“or”).

Conjunction

o

  1. or

Usage notes

Generally used in favor of complex native grammatical structures used to achieve the same ends.

Romanian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [o]

Letter

o ‎(lowercase, capital O)

  1. The eighteenth letter of the Romanian alphabet representing the phoneme /o/. Preceded by n and followed by p.

Usage notes

See O.

Etymology 1

From Latin ūna, feminine of ūnus.

Article

o f ‎(indefinite article) (masculine un)

  1. a/an
    O clădire mare‎
    A big building

Related terms

See also
indefinite article forms singular plural
m, n f
nom/acc un o niște
gen/dat unui unei unor

Etymology 2

Interjection

o!

  1. oh!

Etymology 3

From a root *eaua, from Latin illam, accusative feminine singular of ille.

Pronoun

o f ‎(unstressed accusative form of ea)

  1. (direct object) her
    O cunoști?‎
    Do you know her?
    O cunoști pe Iulia?‎
    Do you know Iulia?

Related terms

  • îl (masculine equivalent)
  • le (plural)

Verb

(el/ea) o ‎(modal auxiliary, third-person singular form of vrea, used with infinitives to form presumptive tenses)

  1. (he/she) might

Samoan

Preposition

o

  1. of

Scots

Preposition

o

  1. of

Scottish Gaelic

Alternative forms

Preposition

o

  1. from

Derived terms

  • The following prepositional pronouns:
Person Number Prepositional pronoun Prepositional pronoun (emphatic)
Singular 1st uam uamsa
2nd uat uatsa
3rd m uaithe uaithesan
3rd f uaipe uaipese
Plural 1st uainn uainne
2nd uaibh uaibhse
3rd uapa uapasan

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

  • (phoneme) IPA(key): /o/

Letter

o ‎(Cyrillic spelling о)

  1. The 21st letter of the Serbo-Croatian Latin alphabet (gajica), preceded by nj and followed by p.
Alternative forms
  • O (uppercase)

Etymology 2

From Proto-Slavic *o(b), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃ebʰi. See o-, ob-.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /o/

Preposition

o ‎(Cyrillic spelling о)

  1. (with accusative) on, against
    ob(j)esiti nešto o kuku‎ ― to hang something on a hook
    udariti glavom o zid‎ ― to hit one's head against the wall
    ogr(ij)ešiti se o zakon‎ ― to violate a law
  2. (with locative) about, concerning
    brinuti se o nekome‎ ― to take care of somebody
    v(ij)est o katastrofi‎ ― news about the catastrophe
    r(ij)eč je o..., radi se o...‎ ― it's about..., this refers to...
Synonyms
  • (Croatia) ob

Skolt Sami

Pronunciation

  • (phoneme) IPA(key): /o/

Letter

o ‎(upper case O)

  1. The twenty-fourth letter of the Skolt Sami alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

Slovene

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *o(b), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃ebʰi.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɔ/

Preposition

o

  1. (with locative) about, concerning

Somba-Siawari

Noun

o

  1. water
  2. liquid
  3. river

References

Spanish

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /o/, /o̞/, /ɔ̝/

Etymology 1

Letter

o ‎(lower case, upper case O)

  1. The sixteenth letter of the Spanish alphabet, called o and written in the Latin script.

See also

Noun

o f ‎(plural oes)

  1. Name of the letter O.

Etymology 2

From Latin aut.

Alternative forms

  • ó (used near numbers to avoid confusion with a zero: 2 ó 3)
  • u (used before words beginning with an ‘o’ sound: u otros, u hombre)

Conjunction

o

  1. or

o ... o

  1. either ... or
Antonyms

Swedish

Pronunciation

Letter name
  • IPA(key): /uː/
Phoneme
  • IPA(key): /uː/, /ʊ/, /oː/, /ɔ/

Letter

o ‎(lower case, upper case O)

  1. The fifteenth letter of the Swedish alphabet, called o and written in the Latin script.

Interjection

o

  1. O (particle)
    Så låt nu, o konung, härom utfärda ett förbud och sätta upp en skrivelse
    Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing (Daniel 6:8)

Noun

o n

  1. the letter o
  2. the Greek letter omega, being the last letter of the Greek alphabet
    Jag är A och O, den förste och den siste, begynnelsen och änden.
    I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. (Revelations 22:13)

Declension

Inflection of o 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative o ot on ona
Genitive os ots ons onas

Tagalog

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɔː/

Etymology

Borrowing from Spanish o ‎(“or”).

Conjunction

o

  1. Or
    Sasama ka ba o dito ka lang?‎
    Are you coming along or will you just be here?

Tok Pisin

Etymology

From English or.

Conjunction

o

  1. or

Turkish

Etymology

Merger of Old Anatolian Turkish ol and an ‎(“she, he, it, that”), from Old Turkic 𐰆𐰞 ‎(ol) and [script needed] ‎(an), respectively; both from Proto-Turkic.

Pronoun

o

  1. he, she, it

See also

Pronoun

o ‎(demonstrative)

  1. that

See also

Letter

o ‎(lower case, upper case O)

  1. The eighteenth letter of the Turkish alphabet, called o and written in the Latin script.

See also

Noun

o

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

See also

Turkmen

Pronunciation

  • (phoneme) IPA(key): /o/, /oː/

Letter

o ‎(upper case O)

  1. The eighteenth letter of the Turkmen alphabet, called o and written in the Latin script.

See also

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

From Proto-Vietic *ʔɔː

Noun

o

  1. (dialectal, Thanh Hoá/Nghệ An/Hà Tĩnh dialects) paternal aunt, father's sister
Synonyms
Related terms

Etymology 2

Borrowing from Portuguese ó

Noun

o

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

Volapük

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /o/

Particle

o

  1. vocative case particle
    O flens löfik!‎
    Dear friends

Welsh

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [oː]

Etymology 1

Pronoun

o

  1. he, him
Usage notes

O is used predominantly in the north of Wales, while e is used in the south. Fe and fo are variants of e and o respectively.

Etymology 2

From Proto-Brythonic *o, from Proto-Celtic *ɸo, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂pó.

Preposition

o

  1. of
  2. from
Inflection

Zazaki

Pronoun

o

  1. he

See also

Etymology

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