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mou

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: môu, Mou, MOU, MoU, móu, mòu, mōu, mǒu, and mᵒū

English

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Etymology

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From Cantonese (mou5), also influenced by Malay mau variant of mahu (to want).

Particle

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mou

  1. (Malaysia, Singapore, colloquial, mainly Cantonese speakers) Sentence-final particle, forms a tag question.
    Kopitiam mou?Do you want to go to the coffee shop?
    Day trip mou?Do you want to go on a day trip?
    Hiking tomorrow. Onz mou?I/We are going on a hike tomorrow. Are you coming?

Anagrams

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Afrikaans

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Etymology

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From Dutch mouw, from Middle Dutch mouwe, from Old Dutch *mouwa, *mōwa, from Frankish *mauwa, from Proto-Germanic *mawwō.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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mou (plural moue)

  1. sleeve

Derived terms

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Äiwoo

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Adjective

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mou

  1. dark grue (dark green, dark blue)

References

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Asturian

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Etymology

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From Latin modus.

Noun

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mou m (plural moos)

  1. way; manner
  2. result

Derived terms

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Catalan

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Pronunciation

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Verb

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mou

  1. inflection of moure:
    1. third-person singular present indicative
    2. second-person singular imperative

Czech

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Pronunciation

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Pronoun

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mou

  1. accusative/instrumental feminine singular of můj

Fijian

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Etymology

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Related to macou from Proto-Oceanic *mʷasoqu.

Noun

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mou

  1. (Kadavu) any plant from the Cinnamomum genus.
    1. spice of its bark, cinnamon

Synonyms

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References

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  • Ross, Malcolm D., Pawley, Andrew, Osmond, Meredith (2008) The lexicon of Proto-Oceanic, volume 3: Plants, Canberra: Australian National University, →ISBN, pages 191-3
  • Gatty, Ronald (2009) “macou”, in Fijian-English Dictionary, Suva, Fiji: Ronald Gatty, →ISBN, page 150

French

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Etymology

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Inherited from Old French mol, inherited from Latin mollem.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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mou (masculine singular before vowel mol, feminine molle, masculine plural mous, feminine plural molles)

  1. soft, pliable, flabby, mushy, squishy
  2. (figuratively, of humans, animals, events) lacking vigor or strength; tardy, slow, slack, weak; (of humans) easy to persuade, convince
  3. (informal, derogatory) pansy, spineless
  4. causing or smacking of tardiness, indolence; debilitating
    Une molle complaisanceA debilitating complacency
  5. (of pillows, matresses, etc.) comfortable, soft

Derived terms

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Noun

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mou m (plural mous)

  1. (nominalized, poetic) pliability, softness, mushiness
  2. (butchering) lungs, lights (of a slaughtered animal) sold as lesser quality meat for cats or other pets
  3. (chiefly partitively and climbing, of a rope) slack
    Coordinate term: sec
    donne moi du mou !pay me out some slack!
    l'escaladeur n'avait pas assez de mou pour le déversthe mountain climber didn't have enough slack for the overhang
    sec ? - non, du mou !do I take up the slack? - no, pay me some more!
  4. something soft, pliable or mushy
  5. a man lacking impetuousness and decision; a pansy, softy
    Synonyms: faible, hommelet
    Antonym: dur
  6. (politics) a moderate

Derived terms

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Further reading

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Italian

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Etymology

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Derived from French caramel mou (soft caramel).[1] Attested since 1942.[2] Doublet of molle.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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mou m or f

  1. toffee (soft candy made from milk and caramelized sugar)

Adjective

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mou (invariable)

  1. made of toffee

Derived terms

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References

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Mandarin

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Romanization

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mou

  1. Nonstandard spelling of mōu.
  2. Nonstandard spelling of móu.
  3. Nonstandard spelling of mǒu.
  4. Nonstandard spelling of mòu.

Usage notes

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  • Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

Maori

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Etymology

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Elision of motu.

Noun

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mou

  1. island, islet, alternative form of motu

Middle English

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Noun

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mou

  1. Alternative form of mowe (haystack)

Old Irish

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Remodelled from the superlative moam on the analogy with regular adjectives.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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mou

  1. comparative degree of mór

Mutation

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Mutation of mou
radical lenition nasalization
mou
also mmou after a proclitic
ending in a vowel
mou
pronounced with /β̃(ʲ)-/
unchanged

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in Old Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

References

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  • Kim McCone (1994) “An tSean-Ghaeilge agus a Réamhstair”, in K. McCone, D. McManus, C. Ó Háinle, N. Williams, L. Breatnach, editors, Stair na Gaeilge: in ómós do P[h]ádraig Ó Fiannachta (in Irish), Maynooth: Roinn na Sean-Ghaeilge, Coláiste Phádraig, →ISBN, §20.3, page 125:
    Síolraíonn SG brc. ‘níos mó’ (gnáthfhoirm Wb.) go díreach ó *máu (11.3-4) < *māūh < *mā(y)ūs (> Briot. *mōīh > MB mwy) […]. D’imoibrigh bun-, breis agus sár-chéim ar a chéile i ré na Sean-Ghaeilge: m.sh., […] brc. móa (Wb.) faoi thionchar leithéide oa ‘níos óige’ thuas, agus brc. mou (gnáthfhoirm Ml.) ar bhonn src. moam de réir an ghaoil idir brc. córu ‘níos córa’, src. córam ‘is córa’ (cf. 3.7) agus mar sin de san aicme rialta.

Old Occitan

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Pronunciation

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Verb

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mou

  1. third-person singular present indicative of mover

Ternate

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Etymology

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Cognate with West Makian mou (mute).

Pronunciation

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Verb

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mou

  1. (stative) to be mute

Conjugation

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Conjugation of mou
singular plural
inclusive exclusive
1st person tomou fomou mimou
2nd person nomou nimou
3rd
person
masculine omou imou
yomou (archaic)
feminine momou
neuter imou

References

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  • Rika Hayami-Allen (2001) A descriptive study of the language of Ternate, the northern Moluccas, Indonesia, University of Pittsburgh

West Makian

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Etymology

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Cognate with Ternate mou (mute).

Pronunciation

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Verb

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mou

  1. (stative) to be mute

Conjugation

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Conjugation of mou (stative verb)
singular plural
inclusive exclusive
1st person timou mimou amou
2nd person nimou fimou
3rd person inanimate imou dimou
animate mamou
imperative —, mou —, mou

References

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  • Clemens Voorhoeve (1982) The Makian languages and their neighbours[1], Pacific linguistics (as mow)

Western Cham

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Elision of lemou related to Malay lembu

Noun

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mou

  1. cow

Zhuang

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Etymology

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From Proto-Tai *ʰmuːᴬ (pig). Cognate with Thai หมู (mǔu), Northern Thai ᩉ᩠ᨾᩪ, Lao ໝູ (), ᦖᦴ (ṁuu), Tai Dam ꪢꪴ, Tai Nüa ᥛᥧᥴ (), Shan မူ (mǔu), Ahom 𑜉𑜥 (), Bouyei mul, Nong Zhuang mu, Saek หมู่.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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mou (classifier duz, Sawndip forms 𭸘 or 𭸙 or 𤝖 or or 𭸲, 1957–1982 spelling mou)

  1. pig

Derived terms

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