English word origin

Etymology of O

Etymology tree Latin ō Old French ohbor. Middle English o English O From Middle English O, o, from Old English o, from Latin o and Ancient Greek ὦ (ô, interjection). Featured prominently in William Tyndale's 1525 transla

5 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 5 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

particle

The vocative particle, used for direct address.

noun

An utterance of the vocative O.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionOenm
Inherited-form mentionoang
Derivation mentionola
Derivation mentionὦgrc

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:o<id:oh>",
        "id": "particle",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nLatin ō\nOld French ohbor.\nMiddle English o\nEnglish O\n[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"vocative\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"ō\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old French\", \"term\" : \"oh\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"fro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"o\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"O\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"particle\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"O\" id=\"English:_particle\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "O"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English O"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "o"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English o"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "o"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin o"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "ὦ",
        "pos": "interjection"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek ὦ (ô, interjection)"
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:o<id:oh>",
        "id": "particle",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nLatin ō\nOld French ohbor.\nMiddle English o\nEnglish O"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "ō",
      "o#Latin:_vocative"
    ],
    [
      "oh",
      "oh#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "o",
      "o#Middle_English:_oh"
    ],
    [
      "O",
      "O#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "o",
      "o#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "o",
      "o#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "o",
      "o#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "ὦ",
      "ὦ#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "New Testament",
      "New Testament"
    ]
  ],
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

noun

American Library Association abbreviation of octavo, a book size (20-25 cm). · Someone associated with Leyton Orient Football Club, as a player, coach, supporter etc. · The number of overs bowled. · Orgasm.

adj

Abbreviation of morally offensive, film classification of the National Legion of Decency. · Abbreviation of Orthodox.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Abbreviation.

This page abbreviates 1 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "The number of overs bowled.",
        "Orgasm."
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Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗

name

A surname from Korean.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Korean 오(伍) (O) or 오(吳) (O). Doublet of Wu.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Doublet mentionWuen

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "expansion": "Korean"
    },
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      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "Wu"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of Wu"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
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      "오#Korean"
    ],
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      "오#Korean"
    ],
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      "Wu#English"
    ]
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Source etymology 5

Original entry ↗

name

A surname from Mandarin Chinese. · Alternative form of E (Ancient Chinese Kingdom)

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Mandarin 鄂 (È) Wade–Giles romanization: O⁴.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mention鄂cmn

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "1": "en",
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      },
      "expansion": "Mandarin 鄂 (È)"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn-wadegiles",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Wade–Giles"
    }
  ],
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    [
      "鄂",
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    ]
  ],
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Source etymology 6

Original entry ↗

adj

With sugar and no condensed milk added.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Hokkien 烏 /乌 (o͘, “black”) or Teochew 烏 /乌 (ou¹, “black”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mention烏nan-hbl · black
Borrowed-form mention烏nan-tws · black

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "1": "Kopi (drink)"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
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      "args": {
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        "2": "nan-hbl",
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      },
      "expansion": "Hokkien 烏 /乌 (o͘, “black”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "sup",
      "args": {
        "1": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "¹"
    },
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Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-Tw