▪ I. † o, oo, numeral a. Obs.
The reduced form of ôn, oon [:—OE. án], one, used in ME., southern and midl., before a consonant. The earlier form was a (which also continued in the north): see a adj.1 and one.
| [c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 39 Ure drihten drof fele deules togedere ut of a man.] c 1205 Lay. 3660 Ȝef o man hit wille breke. a 1225 Ancr. R. 308 Þet o man beo uor one þinge twien idemed. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. ii. 96 At oo ȝeris ende whan ȝe reken schul. c 1386 Chaucer Merch. T. 91 O [v.r. Oo] flessh they been, and o flessh as I gesse Hath but oon [v.r. on] herte, in wele and in distresse. c 1425 Seven Sag. (P.) 2807 O day a town he fande. c 1489 Caxton Sonnes of Aymon iii. 113 He rood soo longe oo daye after a nother. Ibid. vi. 146 Reynawde..drew hym a lityll atte oo side. |
▪ II. † o, oe, v. Obs. rare.
Pa. pple. oed.
[f. O n.1 2 b.]
trans. To spangle, to decorate with small circular disks of tinsel.
| 1627–77 Feltham Resolves i. xx. 36 Divinity..will cast a far more radiant lustre,..than the Stage presents us with, though oe'd and spangled in their gawdiest tyre. |
▪ III. † o, oo, adv. Obs.
Forms: (1–3 a), 3–5 o, oo, (4–5 ho).
[The form taken regularly in ME. by OE. á, which remained in the north, till both forms were replaced by the cognate ay from Norse. See a adv. and ay.]
Ay, ever, always.
| c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 7 Witeð ȝe..into þat eche fir on helle and wunieð þar ô and ô abuten ende. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 111 Ful o life ðe lested oo. c 1325 Deo Gracias 4 in E.E.P. (1862) 128 Leeue me wel hit lasteþ o. c 1420 Chron. Vilod. st. 503 Dwelle þ{supu} shalt þere for evere and ho. a 1425 Cursor M. 19091 (Trin.) Of oure eldres þat han bene o [earlier MSS. a, aa]. ? a 1500 Chester Pl. xiii. 463 A! lord, honored be thou oo, That us hath saved from muche woe. |
▪ IV. o, o', prep.1
(əʊ, ə)
[Worn down or apocopate form of on prep., used in ME. before a consonant; sometimes also, in mod. dial., before a vowel: cf. a prep.1]
= on prep., in its various senses and uses; in early use including ‘in’. † a. in ME.
The ME. literary use appears to have ceased c 1400.
| a 1200 Moral Ode 27 Al to loma ich habbe igult a werke and o worde. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 67 Ete nu leinte mete, and enes o dai. a 1225 Ancr. R. 212 Biholdeð o luft & asquint. c 1230 Hali Meid. 17 Leccherie o meidenhad..weorreð o þis wise. a 1240 Ureisun in Cott. Hom. 189 Ase [he] stod o rode. a 1240 Sawles Warde ibid. 249 Lest sum for-truste him, ant feole o slepe. a 1300 Cursor M. 6749 (Cott.) If..þe dede be don o night [Fairf. on niȝt]. Ibid. 28861 Criand o crist wit-vten steuen. a 1340 Hampole Psalter i. 1 Pestilens is an euyl rechand o lenght and bred. c 1400 Mandeville (1839) xxvi. 269 Of suche Lyouns as ben o this half. c 1400 Destr. Troy 3145 O nowise may we wyn þat woman to gete. a 1400–50 Alexander 4055 Neuire to dee..bot euire dure o lyue. |
† b. In ME., frequently joined in writing to the following word, or hyphened to it by editors. Obs.
In early times this was esp. the case when it was followed by þe, þis, þat, or by words with which it combined to form an adv. or quasi-adv., now usually formed with a-, as o-bak, o-bout, o-boven, o-drey, o-ferre, o-length, o-live, o-loft, o-lufte, o-slepe, etc. The more important of these will be found as main words, in a- or o-.
| c 1220 Bestiary 673 Oðe wise ðat ic haue ȝie seid. c 1300 Havelok 2311 That dide [he] hem o-boke swere. Ibid. 2505 The mere..Skabbed and ful iuele o-bone. a 1340 Hampole Psalter xxv. 1 Depart me fro ille men in body, for we are fere otwyn in soul. Ibid. xxxvii. 12 Þai þat ware biside me stode olenght. |
c. In modern Eng., o' is frequent in Shakes. and later dramatists, esp. in o' th' for ‘on the’ (cf. i' th' = in the). It also occurs in some archaic or traditional phrases or collocations, and dialectally.
In o' nights, and the like, though representing ME. on (on nyȝtes), it is often associated with o' = of (cf. of a night).
| 1598 Shakes. Merry W. i. i. 40 Ha; o' my life, if I were yong againe, the sword should end it. 1600 ― A.Y.L. iv. i. 48 Cupid hath clapt him oth' shoulder. 1610 ― Temp. i. i. 43 A poxe o' your throat, you bawling..Dog. 1613 ― Hen. VIII, v. iv. 71 Mercy o' me. [Cf. Merry W. iii. i. 22, John iv. i. 12.] 1647 R. Stapylton Juvenal 283 Whose parts oth stage he lately play'd. 1675 Hobbes Odyss. (1677) 154 O'th' tenth at night the gods brought me to land. 1775 Sheridan Rivals iii. iii, Tender! ay, and prophane too, o' my conscience. Ibid. iv. iii, Being knocked o' the head by-and-by. 1887 A. Birrell Obiter Dicta Ser. ii. 119 He did not always go home o' nights. 1890 W. A. Wallace Only a Sister 88 He went to church twice o' Sundays. |
d. = a prep.1 10.
| 1850 James Headsman III. vi. 357 O' Heaven's sake, thy glass of kirschwasser! |
▪ V. o, o', prep.2
(əʊ, ə)
[Worn down or apocopate form of of, used before a cons., and sometimes in dial. before a vowel also: cf. a prep.2]
= of in its various uses. Now Obs. exc. as in b.
In ME. sometimes joined to the following word.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 7116 His wijf fader and moder he gaue O þis hony at ete þe laue. Ibid. 10701 It cums o will. c 1400 Apol. Loll. 13 Wan it is don onli up on comyn form o lawe. a 1400–50 Alexander 2898 Ȝit has þe floum, as I fynde, a forelange obrede. c 1460 Towneley Myst. xii. 292 Iesus onazorus [= of Nazareth]. 1567 Gude & Godly Bal. (S.T.S.) 158 Of [ed. 1578 O] pure lufe & meir mercy Myne awin Sone downe I send. |
b. In form o', still used dial., colloq., and in some traditional phrases and locutions; esp., What's o' clock? six o' clock; also in John o' Groats, Jack o' lantern, Will o' the wisp, Tom o' Bedlam, etc.
Formerly in many others, as Inns o' Court, man o' war, Isle o' Wight, but in these of is now usually written, even when o' is familiarly pronounced. The contracted form is common in the dramatists in familiar phraseology, and is occasional in modern poets; it is usual in the representation of dialectal or vulgar speech.
| 1591 Shakes. Two Gent. i. ii. 83 Best sing it to the tune of Light O Loue. 1593 ― 2 Hen. VI, i. i. 186 More like a Souldier then a man o' th' church. 1600 ― A.Y.L. iii. ii. 318 You should aske me what time o' day. 1610 ― Temp. i. ii. 123 In lieu o' th' premises. 1676 Hobbes Iliad i. 163 The greatest part o' th' gain. 1713 S. Pycroft Brief Enq. Free-thinking 26 The two Universities have been constantly traduc'd o' late. 1803 Tannahill Soldier's Return 43 Ye hinna the ambition o a moose. 1864 Tennyson North. Farmer i. ii, Naw soort o' koind o' use to saäy the things that a do. 1868 Browning Ring & Bk. i. 24 Just a spirt O' the proper fiery acid. Ibid. i. 46 The basement-ledge O' the pedestal. |
▪ VI. † o, prep.3 Obs.
[Worn down form of oð, OE. oððe, before þ or th: cf. a prep.3]
In the early ME. phr. o that, until that.
| c 1300 Harrow. Hell 128 Thou shalt buen in bondes ay O that come domes day. c 1320 Cast. Love 152 O þat of hem to weren at-sprong Þe noumbre of þe soule þ{supt} fro heuene felle. |