oom
English
Etymology
Borrowed from Afrikaans oom. Doublet of eam and ohm.
Pronunciation
- (General South African) IPA(key): /ʊəm/
- (UK) IPA(key): /ʊm/
Audio (Southern England): (file) - Rhymes: -ʊəm, -ʊm
Noun
oom (plural ooms)
- (South Africa) An older man, especially an uncle. (Frequently as a respectful form of address.) [from 19th c.]
- 1979, André Brink, A Dry White Season, Vintage, published 1998, page 73:
- He raised his glass. ‘Here's to you, Oom Ben,’ he said. ‘Give them hell.’
See also
Anagrams
Afrikaans
Etymology
From Dutch oom, from Middle Dutch oom, from Old Dutch *ōm, from Proto-Germanic *awahaimaz (“maternal uncle”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /oəm/
Audio: (file)
Noun
oom (plural ooms, diminutive oompie)
Descendants
- → English: oom
Dutch
Etymology
From Middle Dutch oom, from Old Dutch *ōm, from Proto-West Germanic *auhaim (“maternal uncle”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /oːm/
Audio: (file) - Hyphenation: oom
- Rhymes: -oːm
Noun
oom m (plural ooms, diminutive oompje n)
Usage notes
- The form ome is sometimes used in combination with names; e.g. ome Bob translates to uncle Bob. But it is never encountered on its own: in the phrase ik heb een oom ("I have an uncle"), the form ome cannot be used instead of oom.
Alternative forms
Derived terms
Descendants
- Afrikaans: oom
- → English: oom
- Berbice Creole Dutch: om
- Negerhollands: noom, nom, noem
- → Ambonese Malay: om
- → Indonesian: om
- → Papiamentu: mò, òn, òmpi (from the diminutive), mo (Aruba), òm (Aruba), omo (Aruba), oom
- → Sranan Tongo: omu
- → West Frisian: omme, omke
Middle Dutch
Etymology
From Old Dutch *ōm, from Proto-West Germanic *auhaim (“maternal uncle”).
Noun
ôom m
Inflection
singular | plural | |
---|---|---|
nominative | ôom | ôme |
accusative | ôom | ôme |
genitive | ôoms | ôme |
dative | ôme | ômen |
Derived terms
- halfoom
- oomskint
- oomssone
- oudeoom
- overoom
- voloom
Descendants
Further reading
- “oom”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
- Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “oom”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN
Wolof
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɔːm/
Audio: (file)
Noun
oom
Yucatec Maya
Alternative forms
- (Campeche): oon
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /oːŋ/
Noun
oom