"O" Word Origins

one love

Jamaican English

From Jamaican English and Rastafarian usage, where 'one' expresses oneness of all people; carried into international English by reggae.

one-liner

English

A compound of one and liner, a thing consisting of a single line.

one-night stand

English

Originally theatrical, describing a show booked into a venue for a single night; the sexual sense developed from that image of a single engagement.

onefold

Origin

From Middle English onfold, anfald (“single, simple, honest, onefold”), from Old English ānfeald (“single, simple”, literally “onefold”), from Proto-West Germanic *ainfald, from Proto-Germanic *ainafalþaz (“onefold, simple”), equivalent to one + -fold. Cognate with Dutch eenvoud (“simplicity, easiness”), German Einfalt (“simplicity”) and einfach (“simple”), Icelandic einfaldur (“simple”), Gothic 𐌰𐌹𐌽𐍆𐌰𐌻𐌸𐍃 (ainfalþs, “simple”). More at one, -fold.

oneirism

Origin

From oneir- + -ism.

oneness

Old English

From Old English annes, built from "one" plus the suffix "-ness."

oneship

Origin

From one + -ship.

onesie

Origin

Originally a trademarked name (Onesies) from the Gerber Childrenswear brand, which became a generic term over time.

onfall

Origin

From Middle English onfal, onfalle, equivalent to on- + fall. Cognate with Dutch aanval (“an attack, assault”), German Anfall (“an attack, seizure, fit”), Swedish anfall (“an attack, offensive, assault”). Compare also Middle English onfallynge (“an onslaught, attack”).

Ong

Origin

From Hokkien 王 (Ông) or 汪 (Ong).

ongoing

Origin

Built from on + going, from the older phrasal verb "go on" (to continue).

ongoingness

Origin

From ongoing + -ness.

oni

Japanese

Borrowed directly from Japanese 鬼 (oni), meaning demon or ogre.

Onion

Origin

From the large quantities of onions historically grown and exported from Bermuda.

Onions

Latin

From Welsh Einion, ultimately from Latin Annianus.

online

Origin · 1950

From on + line, first used around the 1950s for equipment directly connected to and controlled by a computer.

onliness

Origin

From Middle English onlinesse, equivalent to only + -ness.

onlook

Origin

From on- + look. Compare Old English onlēċ (“onlook, consideration, regard”).

onlooker

Origin

From on + look + -er, probably from the verb look on, but compare with onlook.

only

Old English

From Middle English oonly, from Old English ānlīċ ("singular, solitary"), literally built from one + -ly.

onlyhood

Origin

From Middle English *onlihod, (attested only as onlyhede, onlihed, onlihede), equivalent to only + -hood.

ono

Origin

Borrowed from Hawaiian ʻono, meaning "delicious."

onomatopoeia

Greek

From Greek "onomatopoiia," the making of names, from "onoma" (name) plus "poiein" (to make).

onrush

Origin

From on- + rush. Compare Middle English onresen (“to rush upon; attack”), from Old English onrǣsan (“to rush, rush on”); Old English onrǣs (“an onrush, assault, attack”).

onrushing

Origin

From on- + rushing.

onscreen

Origin

From on + screen.

onset

Old English

From on- + set, echoing the older Old English onsettan ("to press down upon, oppress").

onslaught

Dutch

From on- + an older word "slaught" related to Dutch aenslag/slag ("a blow, a strike"), linked to the same root as the English weaving term "sley."

Onslow

Old English

From Middle English Ondeslow, from Old English *Andrǣd + hlāw ("hill"), literally "Ander's hill."

onstage

Origin

From on + stage.

onto

Origin

Formed from on + to, modeled on the pattern of "into."

ontogenesis

Origin

From onto- + -genesis.

ontological

Greek

From Greek "ontos" (being) plus "logos" (study), via the noun ontology.

ontology

Origin

Learned borrowing from New Latin ontologia (1606, Ogdoas Scholastica, by Jacob Lorhard (Lorhardus)), from Ancient Greek ὤν, ὄντος (ṓn, óntos, “being”), present participle of εἰμί (eimí, “being, existing, essence”) + λόγος (lógos, “account”). By surface analysis, onto- + -logy. First known English use 1663: Archelogia philosophica nova; or, New principles of Philosophy. Containing Philosophy in general, Metaphysicks or Ontology, Dynamilogy or a Discourse of Power, Religio Philosophi or Natural Theology, Physicks or Natural philosophy, by Gideon Harvey (1636–1702), London, Thomson, 1663. Popularized as a philosophical term by German philosopher Christian Wolff (1679–1754).

onward

Origin

From on + the suffix -ward, indicating direction.

onyx

Ancient Greek

From Old French onix or oniche, from Latin onyx, from Ancient Greek ónux, originally meaning "claw" or "fingernail" (a reference to the stone's pale, nail-like banding).

oo

Origin

The bird sense comes from Hawaiian ʻōʻō, imitating the bird's call; the letter sense is simply a spelled-out way of writing the long "o" sound of omega.

oodles

Origin

Origin uncertain; possibly linked to the American slang words "boodle" or "caboodle," both meaning a large collection or lot.

oof

German

Imitative of the sound of a sudden impact, similar to Dutch oef and German uff.

oofy

Origin

From oof + -y. Oof is a clipping of ooftish, from Yiddish אויפֿן טיש (oyfn tish, “on the table”) in the phrase געלט אויפֿן טיש (gelt oyfn tish, “money on the table”).

ooi

Origin

Borrowed from Hokkien 黃／黄 (Ûiⁿ).

oojamaflip

Origin

From oojah + -ma- (probably after thingamabob or whatchamacallit) + flip (perhaps initially with reference to the folding action of a type of collapsible trolley).

ook

Origin

An imitative (echoic) word — it simply copies the sound apes and monkeys make.

oolong

Chinese

From Chinese/Hokkien 烏龍 (o͘-liông), literally "black dragon."

oom

Afrikaans

Borrowed from Afrikaans oom, meaning "uncle."

oomph

Origin

Imitative in origin, echoing a low grunting or thudding sound.

Oona

Irish

Borrowed from Irish Úna, a doublet of Una.

OOP

Origin

The interjection is a shortened, casual version of "oops"; the programming verb is simply the abbreviation OOP (object-oriented programming) turned into a verb.