-o

See also: Appendix:Variations of "o"

English

Etymology 1

From many Spanish or Italian words that end in o.

Suffix

-o

1. (humorous) Converts certain words to faux Italian or Spanish.

   no problemo

Etymology 2

Perhaps from a special use of the interjection O, oh; and/or perhaps from o (“one”), from Middle English o, oo, variant of a, on, oon, an (“one”). More at one.

Suffix

-o (plural -os or -oes)

1. A diminutive suffix.

Usage notes

• -o is generally applied to nouns, but sometimes adjectives, such as agro. It may also be applied to certain given names or surnames, often with elision and sometimes from an already shortened form, to create a nickname form — e.g., Jacko from Jack, Davo from Dave, Smitho from Smith.

Derived terms

• bucko
• cheapo
• daddy-o
• kiddo
• lesbo
• neato
• preggo
• neato
• righto
• sicko
• wacko
• whammo
• wino
• weirdo
• yobbo

The terms below are all Australianisms. Some are also found in other varieties of English.

• agro, aggro
• arvo
• biffo
• bizzo
• bottlo
• compo
• Davo
• dero, derro
• doco
• fisho
• Freo
• garbo
• goodo

• gyno
• journo
• kero
• lezzo
• metho
• milko
• muso
• nasho
• reffo
• rego
• relo
• the Salvos
• seppo, Seppo
• servo
• smoko
• thingo
• veggo
• wino, wine-o

See also

• -ie, -y

Etymology 3

Back-formation from typo.

Suffix

-o

1. An error of a specific type.

Derived terms

• clicko
• scanno
• speako
• spello
• thinko

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Esperanto

Etymology

• From the masculine singular of the Romance languages, such as Italian (amico); perhaps also the neuter singular of Russian (окно (okno))
• Perhaps from the above (Italian quello, Russian то (to))

Suffix

-o

1. Nominal suffix. Most Esperanto nouns end in -o. (A few nouns end in -aŭ, and with some writers some feminine names end in -a.)
   • amiko (“friend”)
   • patro (“father”)
   • vorto (“word”)
2. -thing. (correlative object ending.)
   • kio (“what?, what”)
   • tio (“that”)
   • ĉio (“everything”)
   • io (“something”)
   • nenio (“nothing”)

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Finnish

Suffix

-o (front vowel harmony variant -ö)

1. Forms result or action nouns from verbs.

   huutaa (“shout”) → huuto (“shout”)

   keittää (“boil, cook”) → keitto (“cooking; soup”)

   nähdä (“see”) → näkö (“vision”) (ability to see)

2. Forms variants from a few nominal roots.

   hilla (“cloudberry”) → hillo (“jam”)

   kanta (“base”) → kanto (“tree stump”)

   tasa (“level”) → taso (“plane”)

Usage notes

• Used deverbally especially with those verbs whose citation form ends with -aa or -ää. In stems with e or i, the suffix has its back vowel form, -o.

Declension

Declension of -o (Kotus type 1/valo)

		singular	plural
nominative		-o	-ot
accusative	nom.?	-o	-ot
	gen.	-on
genitive		-on	-ojen
partitive		-oa	-oja
inessive		-ossa	-oissa
elative		-osta	-oista
illative		-oon	-oihin
adessive		-olla	-oilla
ablative		-olta	-oilta
allative		-olle	-oille
essive		-ona	-oina
translative		-oksi	-oiksi
instructive		—	-oin
abessive		-otta	-oitta
comitative		—	-oineen

Derived terms

► Finnish words suffixed with -o

See also

• -u
• -uu

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French

Etymology

Corresponds to -ot, -au

Suffix

-o

1. added to a noun or an adjective after apocope, to create a familiar synonym

Derived terms

Derived terms

dico hosto populo ramollo

resto rigolo socialo

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Ido

Etymology

From Esperanto -o, from Romance languages.

Suffix

-o

1. Nominal suffix. All Ido nouns end in -o.

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Italian

Suffix

-o

1. Used with a stem to form the first-person singular present of regular are and ere verbs and those -ire verbs that do not take -isc-

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Lower Sorbian

Suffix

-o

1. -ly (used to turn an adjective into an adverb of manner)

Derived terms

► Lower Sorbian words suffixed with -o

Synonyms

• -je

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Old Dutch

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *-ô.

Suffix

-o

1. Forms adverbs from adjectives.

Descendants

• Middle Dutch: -e

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Old High German

Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *-ô.

Suffix

-o

1. Forms adverbs from adjectives.

Descendants

• Middle High German: -e

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *-ô. Cognate to Old English -a, in ǣta (“eater”), Gothic -𐌰 (-a), in 𐌽𐌿𐍄𐌰 (nuta, “fisher”). In some cases, the root appears in the zero-grade as in boto (from biotan).

Suffix

-o m

1. used to form masculine agents from verbs

   geban (“to give”) → gëbo (“giver”)

   sprehhan (“to speak”) → sprëhho (“speaker”)

   biotan (“to offer, send, command”) → boto (“messenger”)

   ziohan (“to pull, lead”) → herizogo (“army leader”)

   sagēn (“to say”) → fora-sago (“prophet”)

Declension

Most nouns with this suffix follow the n-declension, like hano (“cock”), namo (“name”), gomo (“man”).

Descendants

• German: -e
• Middle High German: -e

In Middle High German, the suffix is replaced by -er (whence German -er), as in Middle High German gëber instead of Old High German gëbo. Only a few German words still have a final -e that results from Old High German -o.

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Old Saxon

Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *-ô.

Suffix

-o

1. Forms adverbs from adjectives.

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *-ô. Cognate to Old English -a, in ǣta (“eater”), Gothic -𐌰 (-a), in 𐌽𐌿𐍄𐌰 (nuta, “fisher”).

Suffix

-o m

1. used to form masculine agents from verbs and nouns

   gevan (“to give”) → gevo (“giver”)

   beddi (“bed”) → gibeddio (“bedfellow”)

Descendants

• Middle Low German: -e

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Spanish

Suffix

-o

1. suffix indicating the first-person singular present indicative of verbs

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Volapük

Suffix

-o

1. adverb ending
2. -wise (in the matter of; with regard to)

Derived terms

► Volapük words suffixed with -o