omittance (n.) — ooze (v.)

omittance (n.)

"omission, failure or forbearance to do something," c. 1600, perhaps coined by Shakespeare, who used it in wordplay ("Omittance is no quittance"), from omit + -ance.ETD omittance (n.).2

omni-

word-forming element meaning "all," from Latin omni-, combining form of omnis "all, every, the whole, of every kind," a word of unknown origin, perhaps literally "abundant," from *op-ni-, from PIE root *op- "to work, produce in abundance."ETD omni-.2

omnibus (n.)

1829, "long-bodied, four-wheeled public vehicle with seats for passengers," from French (voiture) omnibus "(carriage) for all, common (conveyance)," from Latin omnibus "for all," dative plural of omnis "all" (see omni-). Introduced by Jacques Lafitte in Paris in 1819 or '20, used in London from 1829.ETD omnibus (n.).2

As an adjective, in reference to legislation, "designed to cover many different cases, embracing numerous distinct objects," recorded from 1835; in U.S., used especially of the Compromise of 1850. Noun meaning "man or boy who assists a waiter at a restaurant" is attested from 1888 (compare busboy).ETD omnibus (n.).3

omnidirectional (adj.)

1927, "of equal power in all directions," from omni- "all" + directional (see direction).ETD omnidirectional (adj.).2

omnifarious (adj.)

"of all varieties, forms, or kinds," 1650s, from Late Latin omnifarius "of all sorts," from Latin omnifariam "in all places or parts, on all sides," from omnis "all" (see omni-) + -fariam "parts" (see -farious). Related: Omnifariously; omnifariousness.ETD omnifarious (adj.).2

omnipotent (adj.)

early 14c., "almighty, possessing infinite power," from Old French omnipotent "almighty, all-powerful" (11c.) and directly from Latin omnipotentem (nominative omnipotens) "all-powerful, almighty," from omnis "all" (see omni-) + potens (genitive potentis) "powerful" (see potent). Originally of God or a deity; general sense of "having absolute power or authority" is attested from 1590s. Related: Omnipotently.ETD omnipotent (adj.).2

omnipotence (n.)

mid-15c., omnipotens, "unlimited divine power," from Old French omnipotence, from Late Latin omnipotentia "almighty power," from Latin omnipotentem (nominative omnipotens) "all-powerful, almighty," from omnis "all" (see omni-) + potens (genitive potentis) "powerful" (see potent). Related: Omnipotency (late 15c.).ETD omnipotence (n.).2

omnipresence (n.)

"quality of being in all places simultaneously," c. 1600, from Medieval Latin omnipraesentia, from omnipraesens "present everywhere," from Latin omnis "all, every" (see omni-) + praesens "present" (see present (adj.)).ETD omnipresence (n.).2

omnipresent (adj.)

"everywhere present, in all places at the same time," c. 1600, from Medieval Latin omnipraesentem (nominative omnipraesens) "present everywhere," from Latin omnis "all, every" (see omni-) + praesens "present" (see present (adj.)). Related: Omnipresently.ETD omnipresent (adj.).2

omniscience (n.)

"infinite knowledge, the quality or attribute of fully knowing all things," 1610s, from Medieval Latin omniscientia "all-knowledge," from Latin omnis "all" (see omni-) + scientia "knowledge" (see science).ETD omniscience (n.).2

omniscient (adj.)

"possessing knowledge of all things, having universal knowledge," c. 1600, from Modern Latin omniscientem (nominative omnisciens) "all-knowing," a back-formation from Medieval Latin omniscientia "all-knowledge," from Latin omnis "all" (see omni-) + scientia "knowledge" (see science). Related: Omnisciently.ETD omniscient (adj.).2

omnisexual (adj.)

"pansexual; sexually, romantically, or emotionally attracted to people regardless of their sex or gender," by 1959, from omni- "all, every" + sexual. Earliest application is to Walt Whitman.ETD omnisexual (adj.).2

omnium gatherum (n.)

1520s, "miscellaneous collection," a humorous mock-Latin coinage from Latin omnium "of all things" (genitive plural of omnis; see omni-) + a feigned Latin form of English gather. Earlier form was omnegadrium (early 15c.), omnigatherum.ETD omnium gatherum (n.).2

omnivorous (adj.)

"eating food of every kind indiscriminately," 1650s, from Latin omnivorus "all-devouring," from omnis "all" (see omni-) + vorare "devour, swallow" (from PIE root *gwora- "food, devouring"). Figurative use by 1791. Related: Omnivorously; omnivorousness.ETD omnivorous (adj.).2

omnivore (n.)

"omnivorous animal or person," 1890 (as a dictionary word by 1846), formed from omnivorous on model of carnivore/carnivorous. French omnivore was noted as a neologism in that language in 1801 and might be the direct source of the English word.ETD omnivore (n.).2

omo-

before vowels om-, word-forming element meaning "raw, unripe," from Greek ōmos "raw," from PIE root *hemo- "raw, sharp-tasting" (source also of Sanskrit amah "raw, uncooked, unripe," Armenian hum; Old Irish om, Welsh of).ETD omo-.2

omophagous (adj.)

"of or pertaining to the eating of raw food," especially raw flesh, 1857, from omophagia (1706), from Greek, "eating raw flesh," from ōmos "raw" (see omo-) + phagein "to eat" (from PIE root *bhag- "to share out, apportion; to get a share"). Related: Omophagic.ETD omophagous (adj.).2

omphalic (adj.)

"of or pertaining to the navel or omphalos," 1805, from Latinized form of Greek omphalikos, from omphalos "navel" (see omphalos).ETD omphalic (adj.).2

omphalo-

before vowels omphal-, word-forming element meaning "navel," from Greek omphalos (see omphalos).ETD omphalo-.2

omphalos (n.)

also omphalus, "sacred stone," 1850, from Greek omphalos, literally "navel," later also "hub" (as the central point), from PIE *ombh-alo-, from root *nobh-/*ombh- "navel" (see navel). Especially as the name of the rounded or conical stone in the shrine at Delphi, regarded by the ancients as the center of the world. Related: Omphalic.ETD omphalos (n.).2

omphaloskepsis (n.)

1925, from omphalo- + Greek -skepsis, from skeptesthai "to reflect, look, view" (from PIE root *spek- "to observe"). Also omphaloscopy (1931). Used earlier in the sense of "navel-gazer" were omphalopsychic (1892) and Omphalopsychite (1882) "one of a body of monks who believed the deep contemplation of the navel induced communion with God," a derisive name given to the Hesychasts.ETD omphaloskepsis (n.).2

on-

the preposition and adverb on used as a prefix; Old English on-, an-.ETD on-.2

-one

chemical suffix, from Greek -one, female patronymic (as in anemone, "daughter of the wind," from anemos); in chemical use denoting a "weaker" derivative. Its use in forming acetone (1830s) gave rise to the specialized chemical sense.ETD -one.2

on (prep., adv.)

"in a position above and in contact with; in such a position as to be supported by;" also noting the goal to which some action is or has been directed; "about, concerning, regarding; in a position to cover;" as an adverb, "in or into a position in contact with and supported by the top or upper part of something; in or into place; in place for use or action; into movement or action; in operation," Old English on, unstressed variant of an "in, on, into," from Proto-Germanic *ana "on" (source also of Dutch aan, German an, Gothic ana "on, upon"), from PIE root *an- (1) "on" (source also of Avestan ana "on," Greek ana "on, upon," Latin an-, Old Church Slavonic na, Lithuanian nuo "down from").ETD on (prep., adv.).2

Also used in Old English in many places where we now would use in. From 16c.-18c. (and still in northern England dialect) often reduced to o'. Phrase on to "aware" is from 1877.ETD on (prep., adv.).3

-on

subatomic particle suffix, from ion.ETD -on.2

oneness (n.)

1590s, "quality of being just one, unity, union;" 1610s, "sameness, uniformity," from one + -ness. The modern word appears to be a re-formation; Middle English onnesse (Old English annes "unity, agreement, solitude") vanished after 1400.ETD oneness (n.).2

one (pron., num.)

"being but a single unit or individual; being a single person, thing, etc. of the class mentioned;" as a pronoun, "a single person or thing, an individual, somebody;" as a noun, "the first or lowest of the cardinal numerals; single in kind, the same; the first whole number, consisting of a single unit; unity; the symbol representing one or unity;" c. 1200, from Old English an (adjective, pronoun, noun) "one," from Proto-Germanic *ainaz (source also of Old Norse einn, Danish een, Old Frisian an, Dutch een, German ein, Gothic ains), from PIE root *oi-no- "one, unique."ETD one (pron., num.).2

Originally pronounced as it still is in only, atone, alone, and in dialectal good 'un, young 'un, etc.; the now-standard pronunciation "wun" began c. 14c. in southwest and west England (Tyndale, a Gloucester man, spells it won in his Bible translation), and it began to be general 18c. Its use as indefinite pronoun was influenced by unrelated French on and Latin homo.ETD one (pron., num.).3

Before the name of a person, indicating "hitherto unknown" or not known to the speaker.ETD one (pron., num.).4

One and only "sweetheart" is from 1906. Slang one-arm bandit for a type of slot machine is recorded by 1938. One-night stand is 1880 in performance sense; 1963 in sexual sense. One of the boys "ordinary amiable fellow" is from 1893. One-track mind "mind capable of only one line of thought or action" is by 1915. Drinking expression one for the road is from 1950 (as a song title). One-man band is by 1909 in a literal sense, 1914 figurative. One of those things "unpredictable occurrence" is from 1934 (Cole Porter's song is from 1935).ETD one (pron., num.).5

onager (n.)

Asiatic wild ass, mid-14c., from Latin onager, from Greek onagros, from onos "ass, she-ass" (related to Latin asinus, but the ultimate source is unknown; see ass (n.1)) + agrios "wild," literally "living in the fields," from agros "field" (from PIE root *agro- "field").ETD onager (n.).2

onanism (n.)

"masturbation," also "coitus interruptus," 1727, from Onan, name of the son of Judah (Genesis xxxviii.9), who spilled his seed on the ground rather than impregnate his dead brother's wife: "And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother." The moral point of the verse was redirected by those who sought to suppress masturbation. Related: Onanist; onanistic.ETD onanism (n.).2

onboard (adj.)

"that is on board," 1966 as one word, from the verbal phrase; see on + board (n.2). Originally of spaceships.ETD onboard (adj.).2

once (adv.)

"one time only; at one time in the past, formerly," c. 1200, anes, basically an adverbial form of one with adverbial genitive -s. The Old English form was æne, but it was replaced by, or reshaped by analogy with, the genitive singular of the early Middle English form of one and the common addition of -es to adverbs at that time. The spelling changed as pronunciation shifted from two syllables to one after c. 1300; the -ce is to retain the breathy -s- (compare hence). The pronunciation change to "wuns" parallels that of one.ETD once (adv.).2

As an emphatic, meaning "once and for all," it is attested from c. 1300, but in modern U.S. this is a Pennsylvania German dialect formation. Meaning "in a past time" (but not necessarily just one time) is from mid-13c.ETD once (adv.).3

Never once "never at all" is from early 13c. Once in a while "sometimes" is by 1781. Once upon a time as the beginning of a story is recorded from 1590s, earlier once on a time (late 14c.). At once originally (early 13c.) meant "simultaneously," later "in one company" (c. 1300), and preserved the sense of "one" in the word; the phrase typically appeared as one word, atones; the modern meaning "immediately" is attested from 1530s. Once and for all "once as a final act" is from 1848, earlier once for all (late 15c.).ETD once (adv.).4

once-over (n.)

"glance, rapid inspection," 1913, American English, from once + over.ETD once-over (n.).2

oncer (n.)

"one who does a particular thing only once," 1895, from once + -er (1).ETD oncer (n.).2

onco-

word-forming element meaning "bulk, mass," used from 19c., especially in medical use, "tumor," from Latinized form of Greek ogkos (pronounced "onkos") "bulk, size, mass, weight, swelling," in Modern Greek "tumor," a word of uncertain origin.ETD onco-.2

oncogene (n.)

"gene which can transform a normal cell into a tumor cell," 1969, from onco- "tumor" + -gene, from root of Greek gignere (perfective genui) "to beget, produce" (from PIE root *gene- "give birth, beget"). Related: Oncogenesis "formation or production of tumors" (1932); oncogenic (1949).ETD oncogene (n.).2

oncology (n.)

"the scientific study of tumors," 1857, coined in English from onco- "tumor" + -logy "science or study of." Related: Oncologist; oncological.ETD oncology (n.).2

oncoming (adj.)

"approaching, nearing," 1834, from on + coming, present participle of come (v.). Oncome (n.) "initial stages, onset" (of an effort, rain, snow, a disease, etc.) is from late 12c.ETD oncoming (adj.).2

one-act (adj.)

of a play, "consisting of a single act," 1888, from one + act (n.).ETD one-act (adj.).2

one-horse (adj.)

"small-scale, petty" 1853, American English, colloquial, in reference to towns; see one + horse (n.). Probably from earlier use in reference to a carriage, sleigh, plow, etc., "drawn by a single horse" (1750); also "possessing only one horse" (of a farmer); hence "petty, on a small scale, of limited capacity or resources; inferior."ETD one-horse (adj.).2

Oneida

Iroquois people of upper N.Y. state (they later moved in part to Wisconsin), 1660s, named for their principal settlement, the name of which is from Oneida onenyote', literally "erected stone," containing -neny- "stone" and -ot- "to stand."ETD Oneida.2

oneiric (adj.)

"of or pertaining to dreams," 1859, from Greek oneiros "a dream" (see oneiro-) + -ic.ETD oneiric (adj.).2

oneiro-

before vowels oneir-, word-forming element meaning "of or pertaining to a dream or dreams," from Greek oneiros "a dream," a word of uncertain origin, perhaps related to Armenian anurj, Albanian (Gheg) âdërrë.ETD oneiro-.2

oneirocritical (adj.)

"having the power of interpreting dreams," 1580s; see oinerocritic + -al (1).ETD oneirocritical (adj.).2

oneirocritic (n.)

"a judge or interpreter of dreams," 1650s from Greek oneirokritikos "of or pertaining to the interpretation of dreams," from oneirokritēs "interpreter of dreams," from oneiros "a dream" (see oneiro-) + kritēs "discerner, judge" (see critic).ETD oneirocritic (n.).2

oneiromancy (n.)

"divination through dreams," 1650s; see oneiro- "dream" + -mancy "divination by means of." Greek had oneiromantis "an interpreter of dreams." Related: oneiromantic.ETD oneiromancy (n.).2

one-liner (n.)

"short joke, witty remark," by 1951, from one + line.ETD one-liner (n.).2

one-of-a-kind (adj.)

"unique," 1961, from the adverbial phrase; see one + kind (n.).ETD one-of-a-kind (adj.).2

one-off (n.)

"single example of a manufactured product," by 1927, from one + off. Later given figurative extension.ETD one-off (n.).2

onerous (adj.)

"burdensome, troublesome," late 14c., from Old French onereus, honereus (14c., Modern French onéreux) and directly from Latin onerosus "burdensome, heavy, oppressive," from onus (genitive oneris) "a burden" (see onus). Related: Onerously; onerousness.ETD onerous (adj.).2

oneself

1540s, one's self, "a person's self" (without distinction of gender), an emphatic form of one, with self. Hyphenated 18c.; written as one word from c. 1827, on model of himself, herself, myself, itself, etc.ETD oneself.2

one-shot (adj.)

1907, "achieved in a single attempt" (original reference is to golf), from one + shot (n.). Meaning "happening or of use only once" is from 1937.ETD one-shot (adj.).2

one-sided (adj.)

1833, "dealing with one side only of a question or dispute," hence, "partial, unjust, unfair," from one + side (n.). Translating German ein-seitiger. Related: One-sidedly; one-sidedness.ETD one-sided (adj.).2

one-stop (adj.)

1914, of airplane flights, "making a single stop along the way," from one + stop (n.). Of commercial establishments, "able to supply all of a customer's needs," by 1931.ETD one-stop (adj.).2

one-time (adj.)

"that was, former," by 1850, from one + time (n.).ETD one-time (adj.).2

one-upsmanship (n.)

"act or practice of being 'one up,'" 1952, from noun phrase one up "scoring one more point than one's opponent" (1919) + ending from sportsmanship, etc.ETD one-upsmanship (n.).2

one-way (adj.)

1824, "leading in one direction only;" by 1887 in reference to travel tickets or fares; 1914 in reference to streets; 1940 in reference to windows, mirrors, etc.; from one + way (n.).ETD one-way (adj.).2

ongoing (adj.)

also on-going, "progressing, proceeding, not intermitting," 1877, from on + going.ETD ongoing (adj.).2

onion (n.)

early 12c., ungeon, oinyon, unione, "the underground bulb of the common onion plant," from Anglo-French union, Old French oignon "onion" (formerly also oingnon), and directly from Latin unionem (nominative unio), a colloquial rustic Roman word for a kind of onion, also "pearl" (via the notion of a string of onions), literally "one, unity." The sense connection is the unity of the successive layers of an onion, in contrast with garlic or cloves.ETD onion (n.).2

Old English had ynne (in ynne-leac), from the same Latin source, which also produced Irish inniun, Welsh wynwyn and similar words in Germanic. In Dutch, the ending in -n was mistaken for a plural inflection and new singular ui formed. The usual Indo-European name is represented by Greek kromion, Irish crem, Welsh craf, Old English hramsa, Lithuanian kermušė.ETD onion (n.).3

The usual Latin word was cepa, a loan from an unknown language; it is the source of Old French cive, Old English cipe, and, via Late Latin diminutive cepulla, Italian cipolla, Spanish cebolla, Polish cebula. German Zwiebel also is from this source, but altered by folk etymology in Old High German (zwibolla) from words for "two" and "ball."ETD onion (n.).4

Onion-ring "circular segment of an onion" (especially battered and deep-fried) is attested by 1904. Onion-dome on a church-tower, etc., is attested by 1950, so called for the resemblance of shape; onion-grass, which forms tuberous nodes in its roots (also onion-couch) is from 1823; onion-skin as a type of paper (so called for its thinness, transparency, and finish, which resemble the skin of an onion) is from 1879.ETD onion (n.).5

Onions, the surname, is attested from mid-12c. (Ennian), from Old Welsh Enniaun, ultimately from Latin Annianus, which was associated with Welsh einion "anvil."ETD onion (n.).6

oniony (adj.)

"tasting or smelling of onions," 1801, from onion + -y (2). Related: Onioniness.ETD oniony (adj.).2

only (adj.)

"single as regards number, class, or kind," Middle English onli, from Old English ænlic, anlic "only, unique, solitary," literally "one-like," from an "one" (see one) + -lic "-like" (see -ly (1)). Similar formation in Old Frisian einlik, Dutch eenlijk, Old High German einlih, Danish einlig. It preserves the old pronunciation of one. Related: Onliness.ETD only (adj.).2

Its use as an adverb ("alone, no other or others than; in but one manner; for but one purpose") and conjunction ("but, except") developed in Middle English. Distinction of only and alone (now usually in reference to emotional states) is unusual; in many languages the same word serves for both. German also has a distinction in allein/einzig. Phrase only-begotten (mid-15c.) is biblical, translating Latin unigenitus, Greek monogenes; the Old English word was ancenned. Only child is attested by 1700.ETD only (adj.).3

online (adj., adv.)

also on-line, in reference to computers, "directly connected to a peripheral device," 1950; see on + line (n.).ETD online (adj., adv.).2

onlooker (n.)

"spectator, one who observes but does not participate," c. 1600, from on + agent noun from look (v.). Old English had a verb onlocian, but the modern verb onlook (1867) appears to be a back-formation from onlooker.ETD onlooker (n.).2

onnagata (n.)

in Kabuki and similar drama, a man who plays female roles, 1901, from Japanese, from onna "woman" + kata "figure."ETD onnagata (n.).2

onomastic (adj.)

"of, pertaining to, or consisting of a name," 1716, from French onomastique (17c.), from Greek onomastikos "of or belonging to naming," from onomastos "named," verbal adjective of onomazein "to name," from onoma "name" (from PIE root *no-men- "name").ETD onomastic (adj.).2

onomastics (n.)

"scientific study of names and naming," by 1930, from onomastic; also see -ics.ETD onomastics (n.).2

onomatology (n.)

"the science of the rules observed in the formation of a name or names," 1790; from Greek onomat-, stem of onoma "word, name" (from PIE root *no-men- "name") + -logy. Related: Onomatologist.ETD onomatology (n.).2

onomatopoeic (adj.)

"pertaining to, characterized by, or of the nature of onomatopoeia," 1835, from French onomatopoéique or else from onomatopoeia + -ic. Other adjectival forms include onomatopoeial; onomatopoetic (1827); onomatopoeous (1660s).ETD onomatopoeic (adj.).2

onomatopoeia (n.)

"formation of words or names by imitation of natural sounds; the naming of something by a reproduction of the sound made by it or a sound associated with it," 1570s, from Late Latin onomatopoeia, from Greek onomatopoiia "the making of a name or word" (in imitation of a sound associated with the thing being named), from onomatopoios, from onoma (genitive onomatos) "word, name" (from PIE root *no-men- "name") + a derivative of poiein "compose, make" (see poet).ETD onomatopoeia (n.).2

Onondaga

a people of the Iroquois confederacy, 1680s, named for its principal settlement, from Onondaga onontake, literally "on the hill."ETD Onondaga.2

onrush (n.)

"a rapid or violent onset," 1831; see on + rush (n.).ETD onrush (n.).2

onset (n.)

1530s, "attack, assault, a rushing or setting upon," from on + set (n.); compare verbal phrase to set (something) on (someone), c. 1300, originally "sic (a dog) on." Weaker sense of "beginning, start" is recorded from 1560s. Figurative use in reference to a calamity, disease, etc. is from 1580s. Middle English had set (n.3) "attack, onslaught" (mid-14c.).ETD onset (n.).2

on-site (adj.)

also onsite, 1959, from on + site. Originally in reference to Cold War military inspections.ETD on-site (adj.).2

onslaught (n.)

"attack, aggression, assault," 1620s, anslaight, apparently somehow from or on analogy of Dutch aanslag "attack," from Middle Dutch aenslach, from aen "on" (see on) + slach "blow," related to slaen "slay." Early sources say the word was from Dutch, but the forms do not correspond well. The spelling would have been influenced by English slaught (n.) "slaughter," from Old English sleaht (see slaughter (n.)), but this word, obsolete since c. 1400, can't be the source of the modern one unless the record is imperfect. There is no record of onslaught in 18c.; apparently the word was revived by Scott.ETD onslaught (n.).2

Ontario

Canadian province, also one of the Great Lakes between Canada and New York, from Mohawk (Iroquoian) ontari:io "beautiful lake" or "great lake," from /-qtar-/ "lake, river." Related: Ontarian.ETD Ontario.2

ontic (adj.)

a word in philosophy, variously defined but in general "pertaining to the existence of structure in an entity," 1949, from onto- + -ic.ETD ontic (adj.).2

onto-

word-forming element meaning "a being, individual; being, existence," from stem of Greek on (genitive ontos) "being," neuter present participle of einai "to be" (from PIE root *es- "to be").ETD onto-.2

onto (prep.)

"toward and upon; to and in connection with; to the top of," 1580s, on to, from on + to. It appeared much later than parallel into, unto. As a closed compound, onto (on analogy of into), it is recorded from 1715. "The word is regarded by purists as vulgar, and is avoided by careful writers" [Century Dictionary, 1895].ETD onto (prep.).2

ontogeny (n.)

"development of an individual living organism, history of the individual development of a living being," 1872, from onto- + -geny. Related: Ontogenic; ontogenesis.ETD ontogeny (n.).2

ontology (n.)

"the metaphysical science or study of being and the essence of things," 1660s (Gideon Harvey), from Modern Latin ontologia (c. 1600); see onto- + -logy. Related: Ontologist.ETD ontology (n.).2

ontological (adj.)

"of or pertaining to ontology," 1782, from ontology + -ical. Related: OntologicallyETD ontological (adj.).2

onus (n.)

"a burden," 1640s, from Latin onus "load, burden," figuratively "tax, expense; trouble, difficulty," from PIE *en-es- "burden" (source of Sanskrit anah "cart, wagon"). Hence legal Latin onus probandi (1722) "the task of proving what has been alleged," literally "burden of proving."ETD onus (n.).2

onward (adv.)

"toward the front or a point ahead, forward; forward in time," late 14c., from on + -ward. The form onwards, with adverbial genitive -s, is attested from c. 1600. As an adjective, "moving on or forward," 1670s.ETD onward (adv.).2

onwards (adv.)

see onward.ETD onwards (adv.).2

onymous (adj.)

"having or bearing a name," 1775, coined to provide an opposite to anonymous. Related: Onymously.ETD onymous (adj.).2

onyx (n.)

type of quartz characterized by a structure in parallel bands differing in color or degree of translucency, used for cameos, etc., mid-13c., oneche; c. 1300, onix, from Old French oniche "onyx" (12c.), and directly from Latin onyx (genitive onychis), from Greek onyx "onyx-stone," originally "claw, talon, hoof, fingernail" (see nail (n.)). So called because the mineral's color sometimes resembles that of a human fingernail, pink with white streaks.ETD onyx (n.).2

oo-

word-forming element meaning "egg, eggs," from Greek ōon "egg," cognate with Latin ovum, Old Norse egg, from PIE *ōwyo‑, *ōyyo‑ "egg," which perhaps is a derivative of the root *awi- "bird."ETD oo-.2

oocyst (n.)

in biology, "sac or pouch serving as a receptacle for eggs," 1875; see oo- "egg" + cyst.ETD oocyst (n.).2

oocyte (n.)

"an egg mother-cell," 1895, from oo- "egg" + -cyte "cell."ETD oocyte (n.).2

oodles (n.)

"abundance, a large quantity," 1866, American English (Tennessee), perhaps from the caboodle in kit and caboodle.ETD oodles (n.).2

oogenesis (n.)

"formation and development of the ovum," by 1890, from oo- "egg"+ -genesis "birth, origin, creation." Related: Oogenetic.ETD oogenesis (n.).2

ooh (interj.)

exclamation of pain, surprise, wonder, etc., attested by 1916. The number of -o-s may vary. Combined with aah from 1953. Ooh-la-la, exclamation of surprise or appreciation, is attested by 1918, from French ô là! là! and suggestive of the supposed raciness of the French.ETD ooh (interj.).2

oolite (n.)

"limestone rock consisting of fine spherical grains of carbonate of lime," 1785, from Modern Latin oolites, from oo- "egg," + Greek lithos "stone" (see litho-). So called because the rock resembles the roe of fish. Related: Oolitic.ETD oolite (n.).2

oology (n.)

"the study of birds' eggs," 1823, from oo- "egg" + -logy "study of." Related: Oological; oologist.ETD oology (n.).2

oolong (n.)

dark variety of Chinese tea, 1844, from Chinese wu-lung, literally "black dragon."ETD oolong (n.).2

oom-pah

also oompah, 1877, imitative of the sound of a bass brass instruments.ETD oom-pah.2

oomph (n.)

"sexual attractiveness," 1937 (umph), suggestive visceral physical sound. Ann Sheridan (1915—1967) was the original Hollywood oomph girl (1939).ETD oomph (n.).2

-oon

spelling conventional in 15c.-17c. English to add emphasis to borrowed French nouns ending in stressed -on; also used to represent Italian -one, Spanish -ón; all from Latin -onem. Compare shalloon (1670s) for French chalon, a kind of material used for linings. The ending is used occasionally to form words in English, such as spittoon, quadroon, and some older ones no longer with us, such as shabberoon "disreputable person" (c. 1700).ETD -oon.2

oops (interj.)

"a natural exclamation" [OED] of surprise at doing something awkward, attested from 1933 (compare whoops).ETD oops (interj.).2

Oort cloud (n.)

in reference to a hypothetical cloud of small objects beyond Pluto that become comets, proposed 1949 by Dutch astronomer Jan Hendrick Oort (1900-1992), and named for him by 1968.ETD Oort cloud (n.).2

ooze (n.)

"fine soft mud or slime," Old English wase "soft mud, mire," from Proto-Germanic *waison (source also of Old Saxon waso "wet ground, mire," Old Norse veisa "pond of stagnant water"), probably from a PIE root meaning "wet." Modern spelling is from mid-1500s.ETD ooze (n.).2

ooze (v.)

"to flow as ooze, percolate through the pores of a substance" (intrans.), also "emit in the shape of moisture" (trans.), late 14c., wosen, verbal derivative of Old English noun wos "juice, sap," from Proto-Germanic *wosan (source of Middle Low German wose "scum"), from same source as ooze (n.). The modern spelling is from late 16c. The Old English verb was wesan. Related: Oozed; oozing.ETD ooze (v.).2