Staff O of the English Wordbook.
Basic abbreviations:
- OE = Old English
- ME = Middle English
- SC = Scots
- WF = West Frish
- NF = North Frish
- SF = Saterlandish Frish
- WLG = West Low Theech
- ELG = East Low Theech
- NL = Netherlandish
- NHG = New High Theech
- IC = Icelandish
- HIC = High Icelandish
- NO = Nornish
- SW = Swedish
- DN = Danish
- MLG = Middle Low Theech
- MNL = Middle Netherlandish
- MHG = Middle High Theech
- OF = Old Frish
- OS = Old Saxish
- OHG = Old High Theech
- ON = Old Norse
- GO = Gottish
- PWG = Or-West-Theedish
- PG = Or-Theedish
For a full list of etymological and other abbreviations used in these wordlists, see: Offshortenings.
Staffs under English Wordbook/O:
Oa Ob Oc Od
Oe Of Og Oh
Oi Oj Ok Ol Om On Oo Op Oq Or Os Ot Ou Ov
Ow Ox Oy Oz
*Note: If you click on one of the links above, and nothing happens, then that means no words have been put forth for that bookstaff as of yet.
| Chancery English | Class | Anglish/English | ||
| Attested | Unattested | |||
Oa[] | ||||
| oasis | n | - | win (<IC vin), sandspring | |
Ob[] | ||||
| obedient | adj | hearsome, law-abiding, buxom (original sense) | bowel (<OE béogol), buxom, eathmood (<OE éaþmód), bowsome (note: buxom is in fact a contraction of bowsome) | |
| obedience | n | hearsomeness | buxomness, youngerdom, hearness, thegning; bowsomeness (see above) | |
| obelisk | n | needle, shaft | stonerock (<OE stānrocc) | |
| obese | adj | full, podgy, overweight | fatsoughty (calque: NHG fettsüchtig) | |
| obey | vb | heed, fulfill, follow, bow, give in, give way, meet | - | |
| obfuscate | vb | becloud, muddy | - | |
| obituary | n | - | Roufrithsoned Engliſh: byodening (by- + yode + -en + -ing) | |
| object | n | thing, ware; mark, body, goal, end | (grammar) wraygoal (< OE wrēgan ('to accuse') + goal) | |
| objection | n | gripe, againsay | gaintale | |
| objectionable | adj | - | frainworthy | |
| objective | n/adj | goal; fair-minded, open-minded | unsided | |
| objectivity | n | open-mindedness, evenhandedness | unsidedness | |
| obligate | vb | bind, make | - | |
| obligation | n | must, binding, making | neediness (<OE néadignes), mustdeed | |
| obligatory | adj | bound, binded | must | |
| obliged | adj | bound | writhen (<OE gewriþen) | |
| obliging | adj | willing-hearted | - | |
| oblique | adj | slanting, sideways | sheel (<OE sceolh and akin to NL scheel) | |
| obliquely | adv | aslant | athwart | |
| oblivion | n | forgetfulness, unawareness | forgottenhood, losthood | |
| oblivious | adj | clueless, careless, heedless, unwitted | - | |
| obrium | n | shame | - | |
| obscene | adj | foul, lewd, shameless | - | |
| obscenity | n | - | ewishness (<OE ǣwisċnes) | |
| obscure | vb | darken, bedim, befog, overmist, overshadow | thester | |
| obscure | adj | dim, bedimmed, unlit, swart, overmisted, shady, thester | dile (< ME dīȝel ⁊ OE dīegel/dīgol) | |
| obsequious | adj | cringing, beggarly, bootlicking, brownnosing, fawning, groveling, sniveling | - | |
| observant | adj | watchful, awake, open-eyed | - | |
| observe | vb | follow, goose-step; eye, behold, catch, mark, look at, witness; mind, watch, keep an eye on, bewatch, oversee |
yeme (<OE gíeman), umbloat (<OE ymbwlātian), beaughten (calque: NHG beachten) | |
| observer | n | witness, onlooker, beholder | - | |
| obsess | vb | grip | - | |
| obsessive | adj | whole-minded | - | |
| obsessive compulsive disorder | n | - | brainlock | |
| obsidian | n | - | ravenflint (calque: IC hrafntinna); rownglass (cf. NL lavaglas); ravenglass (from Minecraft) | |
| obsolete | adj | outworn, rust, timeworn | out of brook; forolded (cf. DN forældet, NHG veraltet) | |
| obstacle | n | foreset, block, hurdle | hinderness (cf. NL hindernis, NHG Hindernis), behindering (calque: NHG Behinderung) | |
| obstinate | adj | headstrong, willful, steadfast | - | |
| obstetrics | n | - | birthhelp (calque: NHG Geburtshilfe) | |
| obstruct | vb | block, fetter, hamstring, shackle, hold up | forset (<OE forsettan), forslow | |
| obstruction | n | hindering, hinderness, hitch | - | |
| obtain | vb | get, reap, win, net, come by, draw, land | awin (<ME awinnen), fang, beget | |
| obvious | adj | straightforward | bare-nebbed, swotel, onyet (<OE andgiete), openknowledgeful (cf. NHG offenkundig) | |
| obviously | adv | sheerly | markedly, opensightly (calque: NHG offensichtlich) | |
Oc[] | ||||
| occasion | n | time; opening | sele (<OE sæl), meal | |
| occasional | adj | here and far between | - | |
| occasionally | adv | here and there, now and then | - | |
| occidental | n/adj | western | - | |
| occipital bone | n | - | skullend, backskull | |
| occupied | adj | busy, tied-up | beset (cf. NL bezet, NHG besetzt) | |
| occupy | vb | - | beset (cf. NL bezetten, NHG besetzen) | |
| occur | vb | befall, happen, come about | shee (<OE scéon), betide | |
| occurrence | n | befall, happening | belimp (<OE belimp), sheeing (<OE ġescēon akin to NHG Geschehen) | |
| ocular | adj | - | eyely | |
| ocean | n | mere | haff (<OE heaf), holm (<OE holm), whaleway (<OE hwælweġ; poetic), fivelway (<OE fífelwǽg; poetic), garsedge (<OE gársecg; poetic); ranroad (<OE hranrād; poetic); world-sea, great sea (akin to "Great Lake"), open sea, highsea, worldwater, the floatway, sailroad | |
| Oceania | n(p) | - | Haffkithe (<OE hoef + cýþþu) | |
| octagon | n | - | eightside | |
| octennium | n | - | yeareight | |
| October | n | - | Winterfulth (<OE Winterfylleþ), Winterfulthmonth | |
| octopus | n | - | armfish, eightfoot (calque from Greek), bleckfish (calque: NHG Tintenfisch) | |
Od[] | ||||
| ode | n | song | - | |
| Odin | n | Weden, Woden | - | |
| odds | n |
likelihood; at odds: out of step |
- | |
| odour | n | smell, stench | swetch (<OE swecc) | |
Oe[] | ||||
| oenophilia | n | - | winelust | |
| oesophagus | n | - | kiteway | |
Of[] | ||||
| offence/offense | n | - | ewish (<OE ǣwisċ) | |
| offend | vb | smite, upset, gall, wound, anger | grill, shend, beloath (calque: NHG beleidigen) | |
| offensive | adj | loath, loathsome | - | |
| offer | vb/n | n: bid
vb: agive, bequeath |
n: shore | |
| offering | n | gift, handout | shoring | |
| office | n | - | ambight (calque), needright, note (<OE notu), shire, witch (<OE wíce) | |
| officer | n | beadle, sheriff | ambighter, ambight (<OE ambeht), shireman | |
| official | n/adj. | steward, sheriff, reeve; acknowledged | - | |
Oi[] | ||||
| -oid | sfx | - | -hew (<OE -hīwe) | |
| oil | n/vb | slick, wax, fat | eal (<ME ēle/eal/eale), lime, fattybree | |
| ointment | n | salve | - | |
Ok[] | ||||
| okay | adj | all right | - | |
Ol[] | ||||
| old fashioned | adj | stick-in-the-mud, old time, old world, old line | - | |
| Old Testament | n | - | Old Bond, Lawsetness (<OE lǽgesetnes) | |
| oleaginous | adj | fatty | ealy | |
| olfactory | adj | smell | - | |
| oligarchy | n | - | fewdom, fewrede, fewwald, fewrich (calques of Gk ὀλίγος 'few' + -αρχία 'rule') | |
| olive | n | - | ealberry (<OE eleberġe) | |
| -ology | sfx | -lore | - | |
Om[] | ||||
| omen | n | boding, foreshadowing, token, warning, straw in the wind, writing on the wall | foretoken | |
| ominous | adj | doomy, ill-boding, black-boding, threatening, bodeful | - | |
| omit | vb | leave out, drop | outlet (calque: NHG auslassen; pron. out-LET), waylet (calque: NL weglaten), bymithe (<by- + mithe) | |
| omnipotent | adj | almighty | - | |
| omniscient | adj | all-knowing, alwitty (from "The Prick of Conscience") | - | |
On[] | ||||
| onomatopoeia | n | - | hearword, clang-aping (calque of NHG Schallnachahmung) wordmaking (calque of the greek onoma "word, name" + poiein "compose, make"), loudwork (calque of NHG Lautmalerei), loudedighting | |
| onion | n | - | inleek (<ME hinnelēac), chip (<OE cipe), ramps (<OE hramsa) | |
Op[] | ||||
| opera | n | - | singplay | |
| operate | vb | work, run, undertake |
medical: scythe, snithe bedrive (calque: NHG betreiben) | |
| operation | n | - | medical: scything, snithing
military/police: undertaking | |
| opinion | n | thought, think-so, what one thinks, the way one sees things | weening (<ME wēning), saw (<OE sagu), wen (<OE); onsight (calque: NHG Ansicht) | |
| opossum | n | - | whitedeer (calque: Powhatan aposoum) | |
| opponent | n | witherling | withstander, witherman | |
| opportune | adj | timely, well-timed | ahaply (<OE gehæplic) | |
| opportunity | n | opening | - | |
| oppose | vb | be against, withstand; fight, go against, againstand, buck | again-go, hild, sake | |
| opposite | n | forenenst [1] | gainmatch, witherdeal, gaindeal (calque: NHG Gegenteil), withersake, witherthing | |
| opposite | adj | withering | overright (Dorset), athwart (with object), fornent (Northern) | |
| opposition | n | withstander | gainstanders, witherers | |
| oppressed | adj | downtrodden | - | |
| oppress | vb | tread down | overset (<ME oversetten), athrutch (<OE āþryccan), offthrutch (<OE ofþryccan), forthee (<OE forþēon), thrissom (<OE ġeþrysmian), overseem (<OE ofersȳman), sweer (<OE swǽran) | |
| oppression | n | yoke |
nithe, thrutchness (<OE þrycnes) | |
| oppressive | adj | - | sweer (<OE swǣr) | |
| optimise | vb | smoothen, better | winfullen, winfulledge | |
| optimism | n | yeasaying | - | |
| optimist | n | yeasayer | brightsider, hopethinker, sunny-brainer | |
| optimistic | adj | - | brightsided, hopethinking, sunny-brained, yaysaying | |
| optimum | adj | best | - | |
| optional | adj | can be waled | corely | |
Or[] | ||||
| oracle | n | - | godspeaker (<OE godspræce) | |
| oral | adj | uttered; unwritten, spoken | mouthly (cf. NHG mündlich) | |
| orange | adj | yellow-red (or) yellowred, honeydew | fall | |
| orange | n | - | eastern apple, midricapple (cf. NL sinaasappel; appelsien; NHG Apfelsine) | |
| orangutan | n | - | rutherwere, red ape | |
| oratory | n | outswettling, beadhouse | ||
| orbit | vb/n | go around | spor, pathbow, fallbow, eferfall | |
| orca | n | killer whale | swordwhale (calque: NHG Schwertwal) | |
| orchard | n | - | nutgrove, nutyard, ovetgrove, ovetyard (for disambiguation with "wortyard") | |
| orchestra | n | - | swaygathering, gleeband | |
| orchid | n | - | ballockwort (<ME beallocwirt) | |
| ordain | vb | foreset; foresay; doom; call | tee (<OE teon) | |
| order | n |
setup, fettle, kilter, rowing command: behest group: board, brotherhood, fellowship char: breed, feather, ilk, kind |
fading (<OE fadian); order (phonosemantic calque ord + -er) command: befeal (<ME befelen; cf. NHG Befehl) | |
| order | vb | bespeak, bid, behest
arrange: tidy, set up, row |
bebid (<OE bebod), behight (<OE behatan) command: befeal (<OE befēolan, cf. Du bevelen, NHG. befehlen), for delivery: bestell (cf. NHG/Du. bestellen) arrange: fade | |
| orderly | adj | smooth, well-run, shipshape, trim, spotless, tidy | - | |
| ordination | n | - | hoding (<OE hádung) | |
| organ | n | book, tool
biology: innard, wetware |
workern (calque) | |
| organization | n | board, brotherhood, fellowship, body | shiplaying (calque: IC skipuleggja) | |
| organize | vb | tidy (up); make up | stight, shiplay | |
| orgasm | n | - | cumyark/cumready (calque: NL klaarkomen) | |
| orichalcum | n | - | goldmaslin (<OE goldmæstling), downore (calque), barrowore (calque) | |
| oriental | adj | eastern | - | |
| orientation | n | - | akinting | |
| orifice | n | hole, mouth, opening | - | |
| origin | n | root, wellspring, beginning, birth, seedtime, stem, upspring, ere- | point: ord, orspring, onstanding
cause: frum (<OE fruma) | |
| original | adj | ere-, erst, first, new, fresh | form (<ME forme), ordly, firstmost | |
| original | n | ere-, firstling | - | |
| originally | adv | at first, ere- | formly | |
| originate | vb | upspring, stem, arise, come from, ere- | - | |
| ornament | n | dizen, bedecking | glenge (<OE gleng), wreat (<OE wrǣt), fratowing (<OE frætwung) | |
| ornament | vb | bedeck, deck, trim, bedizen | - | |
| ornamentation | n | setoff, trim | - | |
| ornithology | n | - | birdlore | |
| orphan | n | - | stepchild (see ME stepchīld), sunderling, lonechild, lonegrower, elderless | |
| orphanage | n | - | barnhome (calque: SW barnhem); wosehouse (calque: NHG Waisenhaus) | |
| orthodox | adj | mainstream; by-the-book | liefful (<OE léafful), bookly | |
| orthodoxy | n | - | lorespell | |
| orthography | n | - | spellmanship, spellingcraft, spellcraft (the same term is used to forbind the English term 'magic'), rightspelling (calque: NHG Rechtschreibung), spellingwork, spellworking | |
Os[] | ||||
| osprey | n | seahawk
fish hawk (<SC) |
- | |
| ossicle | n | - | earbone | |
| osteology | n | - | bonelore | |
| osteoporosis | n | - | bone brittling, bonebrittleness | |
| ostrich | n | - | strite (<OE strȳta) | |
Ou[] | ||||
| outcry | n | uproar | - | |
| outdated | n | outworn, rusty | tided out | |
| outmanoeuvre | vb | outsmart, outshine, outwit | - | |
| outperform | vb | outdo, outshine | - | |
Ov[] | ||||
| oval | n | - | eggshape | |
| ovary | n | - | eggstock (cf. NL eierstok, NHG Eierstock, IC eggjastokkur, SW äggstock) | |
| overbalance | vb | slip, tumble, lose one's footing; upset, keel over | - | |
| overcharge | vb | overload, overweigh | - | |
| overdue | adj | overowed, overripe(ned) | - | |
| overemphasize | vb | overplay, overshow | - | |
| overpopulation | n | overcrowding | - | |
| overpower | vb | forset | - | |
| overtax | vb | overburden, forset | - | |
| ovum | n | - | eggling | |
Ox[] | ||||
| oxidize | vb | rust, sour | - | |
| oxygen | n | breath of life | chemistry: sourshaft, breathloft | |
| oxymoron | n | - | sharpdull (calque) | |
Oy[] | ||||
| oyster | n | clam | - | |