# ou
## English
### Etymology 1

From Hawaiian ʻōʻū.

#### Pronunciation

* (UK) IPA: /ˈəʊ.uː/
* Audio (Southern England):(file)

#### Noun

ou (plural ous)
* A probably extinct species of Hawaiian honeycreeper, Psittirostra psittacea.

##### Further reading

* Psittirostra psittacea on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
* Psittirostra psittacea on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
* Psittirostra psittacea on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons

### Etymology 2

From Afrikaans ou, probably from Dutch ouwe (“old man”).

#### Pronunciation

* (General South African, UK) IPA: /əʊ/
* (US) IPA: /oʊ/
* Rhymes: -əʊ, -oʊ

#### Noun

ou (plural ous or ouens)
* (South Africa, colloquial) A fellow, guy, bloke. [from 20th c.]
** 1962, Jeremy Taylor (lyrics and music), “Ag Pleez Deddy”:Ag pleez Deddy won't you take us to the wrestling We wanna see an ou called Sky High Lee
** 1975, Sheila Roberts, Outside Life's Feast: Short Stories, Johannesburg: Ad. Donker, →ISBN, page 27:I couldn't care that the ous call me rooinek and sometimes whiterat because of my hair and face. At least I am not a hairyback I tell them.
** 1978, André Brink, Rumours of Rain, Vintage, published 2000, page 292:“They're the same good and solid ous they'd been before. Because they managed not to think.”

### Anagrams

* UO, U&O

## Afrikaans
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /œu/

### Etymology 1

Probably from ouwe, from Dutch oude

#### Noun

ou (plural ouens, diminutive outjie)
* an old fellow, guy, bloke
    Synonym: kêrel

### Etymology 2

From Dutch ouwe.

#### Adjective

ou
* attributive form of oud

## Aneme Wake
### Noun

ou
* cloud

## Aromanian
### Etymology 1

Inherited from Classical Latin ōvum, possibly via Vulgar Latin (*)ŏvum. Compare Romanian ou.

#### Noun

ou n (plural oauã, definite singular oulu, definite plural oauãli)
* egg

##### Derived terms

* oauã / ou

### Etymology 2

Verb based on etymology 1.

#### Verb

ou first-singular present indicative (past participle uoatã)
* Alternative form of oauã to lay an egg (like a hen)

##### Related terms

* uoari / uoare
* uoat

## Bonggi
### Pronoun

ou
* I

### References

* Michael Boutin, A role and reference grammar account of Bonggi adversative constructions, A Mosaic of languages and cultures: studies celebrating the career of Karl J. Franklin (2010)

## Catalan
### Etymology 1

Inherited from Vulgar Latin (*)ŏvum, from Classical Latin ōvum.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [ˈɔw]
* Audio (Valencia):(file)
* Rhymes: -ɔw

#### Noun

ou m (plural ous)
* egg
* (colloquial) ball, testicle

#### References

* “ou” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
* “ou”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
* “ou” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
* “ou” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

### Etymology 2

Onomatopoeic.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [ˈow]

#### Interjection

ou
* (Mallorca, Menorca) whoa! (command to an animal to stop)

### Etymology 3
#### Pronunciation

* IPA: (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [ˈɔw]

#### Verb

ou
* (Valencia, Northern Calatan) inflection of oir:
** third-person singular present indicative
** second-person singular imperative

## Estonian
### Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

### Interjection

ou
* (colloquial) oi!, hey!, used for calling out to someone

## Franco-Provençal
### Etymology

Inherited from Latin aut.

### Conjunction

ou (ORB, broad)
* or

### References

* ou in DicoFranPro: Dictionnaire Français/Francoprovençal – on dicofranpro.llm.umontreal.ca
* ou in Lo trèsor Arpitan – on arpitan.eu

## French
### Etymology

Inherited from Old French ou, from Latin aut.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /u/
* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -u
* Homophones: août, où, houe, houes, houx

### Conjunction

ou
* or
** 2011, Christian Depover, Thierry Karsenti, Enseigner avec les technologies: Favoriser les apprentissages, développer des compétences, PUQ, →ISBN:La baladodiffusion est ainsi utilisée comme outil à potentiel cognitif, parce qu’elle permet, relativement facilement, de diffuser un contenu audio ou vidéo qui peut, par la suite, être écouté ou vu à tout moment par l’apprenant.Therefore, podcasting is used as a tool for cognitive potential, because it allows for the relatively easy distribution of audio or video content, which, as a result, can be listened to or watched at any moment by the learner.
* either...or
    Ou il est fou ou il est bête.Either he's mad or he's stupid.

#### Derived terms

* ou bien

### See also

* où ("where")
* et
* soit

### References

* ↑ Picoche, Jacqueline with Jean-Claude Rolland (2009) “ou”, in Dictionnaire étymologique du français (in French), Paris: Dictionnaires Le Robert

### Further reading

* “ou”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

## Galician
### Etymology 1

From Old Galician-Portuguese ou, from Latin aut.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ow]

#### Conjunction

ou
* or

### Etymology 2
#### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈoːw]

#### Interjection

ou!
* whoa! (order for cattle)
    Synonym: xo
* oh! (vocative)
** 1775, María Francisca Isla y Losada, Romance:Ôu mèu Crego? Seica qués, que eu vote a lengoa â pastàr? Catao ben, e despois non che pese, ò que ágora fás. Se contra toda concencia pensache de min tàn màl, e estou quixòsa, ¿por que non me has ti de aloumiñar?Oh, my clergyman? Perchance you want that I let my tongue free range? Watch it carefully, or either don't you later regret what you do now. If against all conscience You thought so badly of me And I'm cranky, why wouldn't you cherish me?

### References

* Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, Ana Isabel Boullón Agrelo (2006–2022) “ou”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
* Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “ou”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
* Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “ou”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
* Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “ou”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

## Haitian Creole
### Etymology

Possibly from French vous (“you”)

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /u/

### Letter

ou (upper case Ou)
* A letter of the Haitian Creole alphabet, written in the Latin script.

### Pronoun

ou (contracted form w)
* you (singular)

## Hawaiian
### Pronoun

ou
* yours, your Second person singular possessive, o-type.

#### Usage notes

* Used after negatives, numbers, locative nouns, certain prepositions, and after nouns preceded by an article or a k-determiner.

#### Related terms

* kou

## Italian
### Interjection

ou
* (usually impolite) used to get someone's attention; oi, hey
    Ou, mi stai ascoltando? ― Oi, are you listening to me?

## Jamaican Creole
### Etymology

Derived from English how.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ou/

### Adverb

ou
* how
    ou iz it?how is it?(literally, “How are things?/How are you?”)
    ou kom?how come?
** 2019, “Recognize Patois As An Official Language; Says UWI”, in JamaicanInsider.com‎:Juu tu ou Jamiekan a di wan langwij we bring evri Jamiekan tugeda;Due to how Jamaican is the language that brings all Jamaicans together;

## Japanese
### Romanization

ou
* Rōmaji transcription of おう

## Mandarin
### Romanization

ou (ou$^5$ / ou$^0$, Zhuyin ˙ㄡ)
* Hanyu Pinyin reading of cmn, 嘔 / 呕

### Romanization

ou
* Nonstandard spelling of ōu.
* Nonstandard spelling of óu.
* Nonstandard spelling of ǒu.
* Nonstandard spelling of òu.

#### Usage notes

* 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.

## Mauritian Creole
### Alternative forms

* u

### Etymology

Probably from French vous; compare Haitian Creole ou.

### Pronoun

ou (informal to)
* you (second-person singular formal personal pronoun)

### See also
## Megleno-Romanian
### Noun

ou n (plural uauă)
* Alternative form of uou

## Middle English
### Pronoun

ou
* Alternative form of yow

## Middle French
### Etymology 1

From Latin aut.

#### Conjunction

ou
* or

##### Descendants

* French: ou

### Etymology 2

Contraction from en+le.

#### Preposition

ou
* within
** 15th century, Chronique de Charles VII roi de France par Jean Chartier, Tomé II, edited by Vallet de Viriville. Paris: P. Jannet, 1858, page 18.
    Discord et division ou royaulme de Castile.Discord and division within the kingdom of Castile

## Norman
### Etymology

From Old French ou, from Latin aut.

### Conjunction

ou
* (France, Guernsey) or

## Old French
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /u/

### Etymology 1

From Latin aut.

#### Conjunction

ou
* or

##### Descendants

* French: ou

### Etymology 2

From Latin ubi.

#### Adverb

ou
* where
** 11th century, La Vie de Saint Alexis, BNF manuscript 19525
    Dona as povres ou qu'il les pout trouverHe gave to the poor wherever he could find them

##### Descendants

* Middle French: où
** French: où

## Portuguese
### Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese ou, from Latin aut.

### Pronunciation

* (Brazil) IPA: /o(w)/ [o(ʊ̯)]
* (Portugal) IPA: /o(w)/
* (Portugal) IPA: /o(w)/
** (Northern Portugal) IPA: /ow/
** (Southern Portugal) IPA: /o/
* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -ow
* Hyphenation: ou

### Conjunction

ou
* or (connects at least two alternative words, phrases, clauses, sentences, etc. each of which could make a passage true)
    Escolhe a opção um ou a opção dois.Choose option one or option two.
* or (connects two equivalent names)
    Synonym: também
    Mianmar, ou Birmânia, fica na Ásia.Myanmar, or Burma, is located in Asia.

#### Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:ou.

#### Descendants

* Macanese: ó

### Conjunction

ou … ou
* either … or

### Noun

ou m (plural ous)
* (logic) inclusive or (connective which yields true when at least one of the predicates is true)

#### Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:ou.

#### Derived terms

* ou exclusivo

## Romanian
### Etymology

Inherited from Classical Latin ōvum, possibly via Vulgar Latin (*)ŏvum.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ow]
* Audio:(file)
* Audio:(file)

### Noun

ou n (plural ouă)
* egg
* (slang, chiefly in the plural) ball (testicle)

#### Related terms

* oua
* oară

## Sardinian
### Alternative forms

* ovu (Nuorese)

### Etymology

Inherited from Classical Latin ōvum, possibly via Vulgar Latin (*)ŏvum.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈou/

### Noun

ou m (plural ovos) (Logudorese, Campidanese)
* egg

### References

* AIS: Sprach- und Sachatlas Italiens und der Südschweiz [Linguistic and Ethnographic Atlas of Italy and Southern Switzerland] – map 1132: “l'uovo guasto” – on navigais-web.pd.istc.cnr.it
* Wagner, Max Leopold (1960–1964) “óvu”, in Dizionario etimologico sardo, Heidelberg

## Saterland Frisian
### Alternative forms

* oawe

### Etymology

From Old Frisian of, from Proto-West Germanic *ab, from Proto-Germanic *ab. Cognates include West Frisian ôf and German ab.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /oːu̯/
* Hyphenation: ou
* Rhymes: -oːu̯

### Preposition

ou (neuter or distal adverb deerou, proximal adverb hierou, interrogative adverb wierou)
* from

### Adjective

ou (masculine ouen, feminine, plural or definite oue)
* detached
* tired
* distant
* (games) out

### References

* Marron C. Fort (2015) “ou”, in Saterfriesisches Wörterbuch mit einer phonologischen und grammatischen Übersicht, Buske, →ISBN

## Sicilian
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈɔu/
* Hyphenation: ò‧u

### Etymology 1
#### Noun

ou m (plural ova)
* Alternative form of ovu

### Etymology 2

Onomatopoeic.

#### Interjection

ou
* an exclamation to get attention.
    Ou, talè ccaHey, look at this!
    Ou! Ascuta!Hey! Listen!
* a protest or reprimand.
    Ou! Tàgghiala!Hey! Stop that!
* an expression of surprise.
    Ou! Quant'avìa ca nun ti vidìa!Hey! How long had I not seen you!
* an informal greeting, similar to ciau.
    Ou! Comu jemu?Hey! How's it going?

##### Synonyms

* (exclamation to get attention): oi, yo; see also Thesaurus:hey
* (expression of surprise): meh, zu, pui, ippi; see also Thesaurus:wow
* (for repetition or explanation): eh, ah
* (informal greeting): ciau; see also Thesaurus:ciau

## Suena
### Noun

ou
* water

### References

* Transnewguinea.org, citing McElhanon and Voorhoeve (1970), Smallhorn (2011) and Wilson (1969)

## Tongan
### Alternative forms

* au

### Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *au, from Proto-Oceanic *(i-)au, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Austronesian *(i-)aku.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /o.u/

### Pronoun

ou
* Alternative form of au

## Zia
### Noun

ou
* water

### References

* Transnewguinea.org, citing McElhanon and Voorhoeve (1970), Smallhorn (2011) and Wilson (1969)