English word origin

Etymology of ou

From Hawaiian ʻōʻū.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 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 1

Original entry ↗

noun

A probably extinct species of Hawaiian honeycreeper, Psittirostra psittacea.

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

From Hawaiian ʻōʻū.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Derivation mentionʻōʻūhaw

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "haw",
        "3": "ʻōʻū",
        "4": ""
      },
      "expansion": "Hawaiian ʻōʻū"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "ʻōʻū",
      "ʻōʻū#Hawaiian"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A probably extinct species of Hawaiian honeycreeper, Psittirostra psittacea."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "57d5b7c34ec0c624327887d7f5b1717524365940b16cf5f9cf851af2d9b286b7",
      "rawRecordSha256": "529b2e1a27f98bfa0ee98e98805119086624d657a4e3d7fd12f5d643e4aa2830",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 200157
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "links": 0,
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    "descendants": 0,
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    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

A fellow, guy, bloke.

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

From Afrikaans ou, probably from Dutch ouwe (“old man”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Derivation mentionouaf
Derivation mentionoudnl

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "af",
        "3": "ou"
      },
      "expansion": "Afrikaans ou"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "nl",
        "3": "oud",
        "4": "ouwe",
        "5": "old man"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch ouwe (“old man”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "ou",
      "ou#Afrikaans"
    ],
    [
      "ouwe",
      "oud#Dutch"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A fellow, guy, bloke."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "South-Africa",
        "colloquial"
      ],
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for ou →

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-b3U