-o
/əʉ/
Word Rarity
Common
Frequency: 5.12 in modern English
1
Scrabble Score
1
Letters
2
Syllables
1
Unique Chars
Meaning
suffix
A vocative or exclamative particle appended to street cries, nautical calls, or names to project a hail or shout.
suffix
A colloquializing suffix, typically appended to names, abbreviations of long words, or substantive uses of adjectives.
Example Sentences
- "smoke + -o → smoko"
- "milk + -o → milko"
- "kid + -o → kiddo"
- "sick + -o → sicko"
- "ugly + -o → uggo"
- "Adrian thought it worth while to try out his new slang. ‘I say, you fellows, here’s a rum go. Old Biffo was jolly odd this morning. He gave me a lot of pi‐jaw about slacking and then invited me to tea. No rotting! He did really.’"
Etymology
Etymology tree Latin ō Old French ohbor. Middle English o English O ▲ Middle English o English oh English -o Originally a special use of the interjection O or oh appended to street cries and nautical calls to project a hail or shout (as in milk-oh, smoke-oh, and sail-ho). Its later use as a colloquializing noun suffix, particularly prominent in Australian English, developed from the substantivation of these cries (e.g., smoko), reinforced by early nautical adaptations of Mediterranean Lingua Franca or pseudo‐Spanish words (such as guardo). As noted by the Australian National Dictionary, this vocative “hailing” origin naturally led to its frequent attachment to personal names to form nicknames (e.g., John‐o, Jacko). Some senses may also derive from o (“one”), from Middle English o, oo, a variant of a, on, oon, an (“one”). See one and -y.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: o, -
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /əʉ/
- British English: /əʊ/