1. The fifteenth letter mid 
fourth viiwi-1 in our alpha- 
bet. It followed JValso in the 
Itallcan systems, but was separat- 
ed from It In Greek and I'henician 
by another character, which In the 
liitirr Imd the value of a sibilant, 
anil in the former that of the com- 
pound k (f). The O- character, ac- 
cordingly, was the sixteenth in the 
Phenlcian alphabet, and it repre- 
sented there the 'aia, a very peculiar ana to us unpro- 
nounceable guttural ; the Greeks (as in the case of E : see 
that letter) arbitrarily changed its value to that of a vowel, 
on Tfsponding In quality to our "long 6." There is no 
traceable Egyptian prototype for the character; the com- 
parison of older forms is therefore as follows : 
Hlcrogl; 
Egyptian, 
lypnic. HI. 
oo 
Harly 
Greek ami Latin. 
It thus appears that the belief, not uncommonly held, that 
O represents, and is imitated from, the rounded position 
of the lips In its utterance, Is a delusion. The historical 
value of the letter (as already noticed) is that of our o, in 
note, etc., whether of both long and short quantities, as In 
Latin and the earliest (Jreek, or of short only, as in Greek 
after the addition to that alphabet of a special sign for long 
o (namely omega, ft, <u). This vowel-sound, the name-sound 
of o, is found In English usage only with long quantity 
hi accented syllables. There is no closely corresponding 
short vowel In standard English, but only in dialectal pro- 
nunciation, as In the New England utterance of certain 
words (much varying in number in different individuals) ; 
for example, home, whole, none. What we call " short o" 
(In not, on, etc.) Is a sound of altogether different quality, 
very near to a true short a (that Is, a short utterance cor- 
responding to the a of arm, father), but verging slightly 
toward the "broad" a (tl) or o (o) of laud, lord. "Short 
o" lias a marked tendency to take on a "broader" sound, 
especially before r, and especially in America: hence the 
use, in the respelllngs of this work, of ", which varies in 
different mouths from the full sound of rt to that of 6. 
After these three values of the character, the next most 
common one is that of the oo-souml, the original and 
proper sound of u (represented in this work by o), as in 
move, with the nearly corresponding short sound (marked 
ft) in a few words, as wolf, woman. All these vowel-sounds 
partake of what is usually called a " labial " or a " rounded " 
character : that is to say, there is involved In their utter- 
ance a rounding and closing movement of the lips (and, it 
is held, of the whole mouth-cavity), in different degrees 
least of all in o, more and more in a, o, it, o; in the last, 
carried to its extreme, no closer rounding and approxima- 
tion being possible. The labial action helps to give the 
vowel-sounds in question their fully distinctive character ; 
but It can be more or less slighted without leaving them 
unrecognizable, and, in the generally indifferent habit of 
English pronunciation, is in a degree neglected, even in 
accented syllables, and yet more In unaccented. Our "long 
6," it should be added, regularly ends with a vanishing 
sound of oo (o), as our " with one of e. also has in many 
words the value of the "neutral" vowels of hut, hurt: for 
example, in son, come, lone, work. is further a member 
of several very* common and Important digraphs : thus, oo, 
the most marked representative of the o-sound (in moon, 
rood, etc.), but also pronounced as ii (600*. look, etc.) and 
ft (Mood, etc.); ou (In certain situations ow), oftenest rep- 
resenting a real diphthong (in out, sound, now, etc.), but 
also a variety of other sounds (as in through, could, ought, 
rouah) oi (in certain situations oy), standing for a real 
diphthongal sound of which the first element is the "broad " 
o- or o-sound (for example, point, boy) ; tta (load, etc. ), hav- 
ing the " long o-sound ; others, aso(variously pronounced, 
as in people, yeoman, jeopard), oe(in foe, does, etc.), are com- 
paratively rare. 
The poet, little urged, 
But with some prelude of disparagement. 
Read, mouthing out his hollow oes and aes, 
Deep-chested music. 
Tennyson, The Epic (Morte d'Arthur). 
2. As a medieval Roman numeral, 11. 3. As 
a symbol: (a) In medieval musical notation, the 
sign of the tempus perfectum that is, of triple 
rhythm. See mensurable music, under mrnnnr- 
ii /iir. (b) In modern musical notation, a null 
i which see), (c) In chem., the symbol of oi>i<jc>i. 
(<l) In logic, the symbol of the particular nega- 
tive proposition. See A, 2 (b). 4. An abbre- 
viation: (a) Of old: as, in O. H. G., Old High 
German ; O. T., Old Testament. (6) Of the Mid- 
dle Latin oc.tavius, a pint, (c) [/. c.] In a ship's 
log-book, of iirrrcii.it. 5. PI. o's. oes (6z). Any- 
thing circular or approximately so, as resem- 
bling the shape of the letter n. as a spangle, the 
circle of a theater, the earth, etc. 
May we cram 
Within this wooden O (the theater! the very casques 
That did affright the air at Agincourt? 
Shak., Hen. V., Prol. 
Fair Helena, who more engilds the night 
Than all yon fiery net and eyes of light. 
Shak., M. N. D., lit 2. 188. 
The colours that shew best by candle-light are white, 
carnation, and a kind of sea-water greene; and oei or 
spangs, as they are no great cost, so they are of most glory. 
Bacon, Masques and Triumphs. 
Their mantles were of several-coloured silks . . . em- 
broidered with 0'. B. Jonton, Masque of Hymen. 
6t. Au arithmetical cipher ; zero : so called from 
its form. 
Now i in ui artan without a figure. Shak., Lear, i. 4. 212. 
Round 0, a zero : used to Indicate the absence of runs In 
base-ball, cricket, etc. 
O 2 , oh (6), interj. [< ME. o, AS. cd = D. G. Sw. 
Dan. o = F. Sp. Pg. It. o = IT. och = L. o = Gr. 
u, u, a common interj., of spontaneous origin. 
Cf. equiv. AT. Hind, yd; and see n 9 , ah, ate 2 , eh, 
is the established form of of in the phrase oWoe*. See 
dock*. 
Some god o' the Island. Shak., Tempest, I. 2. *#. 
O 8 , 0". [< IT. o, Olr. ui, descendant, = Gael. 
ogha, > Sc. oe, a grandson: see o 2 .] A prefix 
common in Irish surnames, equivalent to Mac- 
in Gaelic and Irish surnames (see Mac), mean- 
ing 'son,' as in O'Brien, O'Connor, ffDoniiell, 
ff Sullivan, son of Brien, Connor, Donnell, etc. 
-O-. [NL. etc. -o-, < Gr. -o-, being the stem-vow- 
el, original, conformed, or supplied as a con- 
nective, of the first element in the compound; 
= L. -i-: see -i- 2 .] The usual "connecting 
vowel," properly the stem- vowel of the first ele- 
ment, of compound words taken or formed from 
the Greek, as in acr-o-lith, chrys-o-prase, mon- 
o-tone, prot-o-martyr, etc. This vowel -o- is often 
accented, becoming then, as in -o-logy, -o-graphy, etc., an 
apparent part of the second element (See -ology.) So in 
-aid, properly -o-id, it has become apparently a part of the 
1L 
o;;^' Ttere irno a differeVc7b;tw7en O ami oadtf . A corrupt form of voaa. 
Oh except that of present spelling, oh beingcom- No difference between ode and frankfncen: 
mon in ordinary prose, and the capital being 
rather preferred (probably for its round and oadal (6'a-dal), n. [E. Ind.] A tree, Sterculta 
more impressive look) in verse, and in the sol- villosa, abundant in India, whose bast 
emn style, as in earnest address or appeal.] A into good rope, and whose bark after soaking. 
common interjection expressing surprise, pain, can be slipped from the log without splitting, 
gladness, appeal, entreaty, invocation, lament, and sewed up to form bags. 
itc., according to the manner of utterance and oaf (of), n. [Early mod.l<. also owke, "avphe, 
the circumstances of the case. ""'/'" e1 /' < Ice1 ' T^ 1 an SjJ 8 " <V' 
Phillisides is dead. luckless age ! 
widow world ! brookes and fountains cleere ! 
L. Bryskett, Pastoral! Eclogue. 
hone I Och hone! An Interjection of lamentation. 
[Irish and Scotch. | 
"Ohon, alas!" said that lady, 
" This water 's wondrous deep." 
Drowned Lmxr (Child's Ballads, II. 179). 
At the loss of a dear friend they will cry out, roar, and 
tear their hair, lamenting some months after, howling "0 
Hone." Burton, Anat. of Mel., p. 369. 
O 2 , Oh (o), . [< O 2 , oh, interj.] 1. An ex- 
clamation or lamentation. 
Why should you fall into so deep an Of 
Shot., R. and J., 111. 3. 90. 
With the like clamour, and confused 0, 
To the dread shock the desp'rate armies go. 
Drayton, Barons' Wars, ii. 36. 
2t. Same as Ao 1 The O's of Advent, the Advent A 
see e?/.] 1. In popular superstition, a change- 
ling; a foolish or otherwise defective child left 
by fairies in the place of anotfier carried off by 
them. 
The fairy left this aul/, 
And took away the other. 
Drayton, Nymphidla, 1. 79. 
2. A dolt; an idiot; a blockhead; a simpleton. 
The fear of breeding fools 
And oafs. 
Fletcher and Shirley, Night- Walker, i. 4. 
With Nature's Oaf 'tis quite a diff'rent Case, 
For Fortune favours all tier Idiot- Race. 
ek = MD. eeke, D. eik = MLG. eke, LG. eke = 
OHG. eih, etch, MHG. eich, eiche, G. eiche = Icel. 
eik = Norw. eik = Sw. ek = Dan. eg (= Goth. 
*aiks, not recorded), an oak; in mod. Icel. in the 
general sense ' tree ' (cf . Gr. o>>c , a tree, the oak : 
Gangrene, Way of the World, Prol. 
You great ill-fashioned oaf, with scarce sense enough to 
keep your month shut ! 
Ooldemith, She Stoops to Conquer, iv. 
oafish (o'fish), a. [< oaf + -tehl. Cf. elfish.] 
Like an oaf; stupid; dull; doltish. [Bare.] 
thems, sung In the Roman C'afhollc and Anglican churches oafishnesS (6'fish-ues), n. The state or quality 
on the days next preceding Christmas beginning with f bi g oans h; stupidity; dullness; folly. 
December 16th, as noted In the Book of Common Prayer. .. 
They are named from the Initial with which they all be- |_ lta re.J 
gin. Each contains a separate invocation : as, Sapientia oak (6k), n. [Early mod. E. oke, < Mh. OKe, Ok, 
(thatjs, O Wisdom), OAdonal (Lord), O Hoot o f David, etc. earlier ake, ak (> Sc. aik), < AS. Ac = OFries. 
The O's of St. Bridget, or the Fifteen O's fifteen 
meditations on the Passion of Christ, composed by St. 
Bridget. Each begins with Jetu or a similar invocation. 
They were included in several of the primers issued in 
England shortly before the Reformation. See primer?. 
O 3 (o),prep. [Also a (see a); abbr. of OH: see 
on.] An abbreviated form of on. Commonly 
written o'. 
Still you keep o' the windy side of the law. 
Shak., T. N., ui, 4. 181. 
4 t, [ME. o, oo, var. of a, for earlier on, oon, 
<IH, < AS. an, one: see a 2 , ol, one.] 1. Same 
as one. 
\ lie here gomes were glad of hire gode speche, 
& seden at o sent (with one assent] " wat so tide wold after, 
Thei wold manli bi here mist meyntene hire wille." 
William of Palerne (E. E. T. S.X 1. 3017. 
The kynge Ban and the kynge Bohors com to hym, and 
selde so tonym of o thinge and other that the! hym apesed. 
Merlin (E. E. T. S.), iii. 498. 
But faithful fader, * our fre kyng! 
I aske of you thing but augurs you noght. 
Detraction of Troy (E. E. T. S.), 1. 2236. 
2. Same as n 2 , the indefinite article. 
There where the blessed V irgyne seynte Kateryne was 
buryed; that is to undrestonde, in o Contree, or in o Place 
berynge o Name. Mandeville, Travels, p. 63. 
O 5 (o), prep. [Also a (see a 4 ); abbr. of of: see 
of. j An abbreviated form of of, now common- 
ly written o'. It is very common in colloquial speech, 
but is usually written ami printed in the full form of. it 
4049 
White Oak (Q*crc*s o 
.branch with acorns; 3, branch with mate catkins; a, a t 
