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. An exception is the phrase hoge ome.
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