English
O
O comes from Middle English o ‘oh, ah’, and goes back to Latin ō.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEō
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400oh
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500o‘oh, ah’
- Englishearliest quotation 1526O
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history not traced here.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEō
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400oh
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500o‘oh, ah’
- Englishearliest quotation 1526O
Earliest quotation: 1526, [William Tyndale, The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible): “Therfore arte thou inexcuſable o man whoſoever thou be…”
The story
Featured prominently in William Tyndale's 1525 translation of the New Testament.
Linked words
through Middle English o ‘oh, ah’
Another origin of O
- Mandarinmodern鄂È
- EnglishtodayO
Another origin of O
- Hokkienmodern烏o͘‘black’uncertain
- EnglishtodayO
Today it means
particle The vocative particle, used for direct address.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin ō / O