ons
Translingual
Etymology
Clipping of English Ono with s as a placeholder.
Symbol
ons
See also
- Wiktionary’s coverage of Ono terms
English
Verb
ons
Anagrams
Afrikaans
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɔns/, [ɔ̃s]
Etymology 1
From Dutch ons, from Middle Dutch ons, from Old Dutch uns, from Proto-Germanic *uns, *unsiz.
Pronoun
ons
See also
subjective | objective | possessive determiner |
possessive pronoun | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
singular | 1st | ek | my | myne | ||
2nd | jy | jou | joune | |||
2nd, formal | u | u s’n | ||||
3rd | masc | hy | hom | sy | syne | |
fem | sy | haar | hare | |||
neut | dit | sy | syne | |||
plural | 1st | ons | ons s’n | |||
2nd | julle / jul1 | julle s’n | ||||
3rd | hulle / hul1 | hulle s’n |
Etymology 2
From Dutch ons, inflected onze, from Middle Dutch onse, from Old Dutch *unsa, from Proto-Germanic *unseraz.
Alternative forms
- onse (archaic)
Determiner
ons
- our
- 1921, “Die Stem van Suid-Afrika”, C.J. Langenhoven (lyrics), M.L. de Villiers (music), South Africa:
- Ruis die stem van ons geliefde, van ons land Suid-Afrika.
- Rises the voice of our beloved, of our country South Africa.
See also
subjective | objective | possessive determiner |
possessive pronoun | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
singular | 1st | ek | my | myne | ||
2nd | jy | jou | joune | |||
2nd, formal | u | u s’n | ||||
3rd | masc | hy | hom | sy | syne | |
fem | sy | haar | hare | |||
neut | dit | sy | syne | |||
plural | 1st | ons | ons s’n | |||
2nd | julle / jul1 | julle s’n | ||||
3rd | hulle / hul1 | hulle s’n |
Etymology 3
From Dutch ons, from Middle Dutch unce, from Latin uncia.
Noun
ons
- ounce (unit of measurement)
Dutch
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɔns/, (Netherlands) [õs]
Audio: (file) - Rhymes: -ɔns
Etymology 1
From Middle Dutch ons, from Old Dutch uns, from Proto-Germanic *uns, *unsiz.
Pronoun
ons
- us; first-person plural objective personal pronoun
- Geef ons heden ons dagelijks brood. ― Give us today our daily bread.
- ourselves; first-person plural reflexive pronoun
Derived terms
Descendants
- Afrikaans: ons
- Berbice Creole Dutch: ensi
- Jersey Dutch: on̈s, on̈ns
- Negerhollands: ons, oṅ
- Skepi Creole Dutch: ons
Etymology 2
From Old Dutch *unsa, from Proto-Germanic *unseraz.
Determiner
ons (dependent possessive, inflected form onze, independent possessive onze)
- our; first-person plural possessive determiner
- Geef ons heden ons dagelijks brood. ― Give us this day our daily bread
Usage notes
- Ons is the only possessive determiner in contemporary Dutch that inflects for gender and number. It becomes onze before masculines, feminines and all plurals.
- As an independent possessive pronoun it becomes de/het onze as well, but this in line with the general rules (cf. mijne, jouwe etc.).
Declension
subject | object | possessive | reflexive | genitive5 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
singular | full | unstr. | full | unstr. | full | unstr. | pred. | ||
1st person | ik | 'k1 | mij | me | mijn | m'n1 | mijne | me | mijner, mijns |
2nd person | jij | je | jou | je | jouw | je | jouwe | je | jouwer, jouws |
2nd person archaic or regiolectal | gij | ge | u | – | uw | – | uwe | u | uwer, uws |
2nd person formal | u | – | u | – | uw | – | uwe | u, zich7 | uwer, uws |
3rd person masculine | hij | ie1 | hem | 'm1 | zijn | z'n1 | zijne | zich | zijner, zijns |
3rd person feminine | zij | ze | haar | h'r1, 'r1, d'r1 | haar | h'r1, 'r1, d'r1 | hare | zich | harer, haars |
3rd person neuter | het | 't1 | het | 't1 | zijn | z'n1 | zijne | zich | zijner, zijns |
3rd person gender-neutral8 | hen | – | hen | – | hun | – | hunne | zich | hunner, huns |
plural | |||||||||
1st person | wij | we | ons | – | ons, onze2 | – | onze | ons | onzer, onzes |
2nd person | jullie | je | jullie | je | jullie | je | – | je | – |
2nd person archaic or regiolectal6 | gij | ge | u | – | uw | – | uwe | u | uwer, uws |
2nd person formal | u | – | u | – | uw | – | uwe | u, zich7 | uwer, uws |
3rd person | zij | ze | hen3, hun4 | ze | hun | – | hunne | zich | hunner, huns |
1) Not as common in written language. 2) Inflected as an adjective. 3) In prescriptivist use, used only as direct object (accusative). 4) In prescriptivist use, used only as indirect object (dative). 5) Archaic. Nowadays used for formal, literary or poetic purposes, and in fixed expressions. 6) To differentiate from the singular gij, gelle (object form elle) and variants are commonly used colloquially in Belgium. Archaic forms are gijlieden and gijlui ("you people"). |
7) Zich is preferred if the reflexive pronoun immediately follows the subject pronoun u, e.g. Meldt u zich aan! 'Log in!', and if the subject pronoun u is used with a verb form that is identical with the third person singular but different from the informal second person singular, e.g. U heeft zich aangemeld. 'You have logged in.' Only u can be used in an imperative if the subject pronoun is not overt, e.g. Meld u aan! 'Log in!', where u is the reflexive pronoun. Otherwise, both u and zich are equally possible, e.g. U meldt u/zich aan. 'You log in.' 8) Not officially recognized in standard Dutch. It has gained popularity, especially in mainstream media and queer circles, as a respectful term for non-binary individuals. |
Etymology 3
From Middle Dutch unce (1240), borrowed from Latin uncia (a twelfth of a pound) probably via Old French once. [1]
Noun
ons n (plural onsen or onzen, diminutive onsje n)
- metric ounce (100 grams)
Usage notes
Prior to the law of 1820 that introduced the metric system in what then united both the Netherlands and Belgium a variety of measures ranging around ca 30 grams were known by this name. The law of 1820 attributed the name to the hectogram of 100 grams. In 1937 the IJkwet of the Netherlands officially abolished the term, but it is still commonly used.
Synonyms
Descendants
References
Indonesian
Etymology
From Dutch ons, from Middle Dutch unce (1240), borrowed from Latin uncia (a twelfth of a pound) probably via Old French once. [1]
Noun
ons (plural ons-ons)
- metric ounce (100 grams)
References
Middle Dutch
Pronoun
ons
- accusative/dative of wi
Descendants
Middle English
Adverb
ons
- alternative form of ones
Plautdietsch
Pronoun
ons
Samogitian
Alternative forms
Etymology
Uncertain. Possibly borrowed from Old East Slavic онъ (onŭ).
Pronoun
ons (feminine counterpart ana)
- third-person masculine singular pronoun: he
References
- “Žemaičių Žodynas”, in Žemaičių žemė[1] (overall work in Lithuanian), 2012, page 21: “Ons — jis”
Swedish
Noun
ons
- indefinite genitive plural of o
Anagrams
Turkish
Etymology
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈons/
- Hyphenation: ons
Noun
ons (definite accusative onsu, plural onslar)
Further reading
- “ons”, in Turkish dictionaries, Türk Dil Kurumu
- Nişanyan, Sevan (2002–) “ons”, in Nişanyan Sözlük
- Ayverdi, İlhan (2010) “ons”, in Misalli Büyük Türkçe Sözlük, a reviewed and expanded single-volume edition, Istanbul: Kubbealtı Neşriyatı
- Çağbayır, Yaşar (2007) “ons”, in Ötüken Türkçe Sözlük (in Turkish), volume 4, Istanbul: Ötüken Neşriyat, page 3547
Volapük
Pronoun
ons
- (nominative plural of on) they (neuter or of mixed or unspecified gender)
- 1938, “Ge lü Volapük!”, in Volapükagased pro Nedänapükans, pages 17-19:
- If xamobs yufapükis dabinöl, täno mutobs dasevön, das ons valik jenöfo binons geboviks pro disein.
- If we examine the existing auxiliary languages, we must admit that they are all indeed useful for the purpose.