Thou art an O without a figure.
Shak.
O'. [Ir. o a descendant.] A prefix to Irish family names, which
signifies grandson or descendant of, and is a character of dignity; as,
O'Neil, O'Carrol.
O' (; unaccented ), prep. A shortened form of of or on. "At the turning
o' the tide." Shak.
O (), a. [See One.] One. [Obs.] Chaucer. "Alle thre but o God." Piers
Plowman.
O (?), interj. An exclamation used in calling or directly addressing a
person or personified object; also, as an emotional or impassioned
exclamation expressing pain, grief, surprise, desire, fear, etc.
For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.
Ps. cxix. 89.
O how love I thy law ! it is my meditation all the day.
Ps. cxix. 97.
O is frequently followed by an ellipsis and that, an in expressing a
wish: "O [I wish] that Ishmael might live before thee !" Gen. xvii. 18;
or in expressions of surprise, indignation, or regret: "O [it is sad]
that such eyes should e'er meet other object !" Sheridan Knowles.
A distinction between the use of O and oh is insisted upon by some,
namely, that O should be used only in direct address to a person or
personified object, and should never be followed by the exclamation
point, while Oh (or oh) should be used in exclamations where no direct
appeal or address to an object is made, and may be followed by the
exclamation point or not, according to the nature or construction of
the sentence. Some insist that oh should be used only as an
interjection expressing strong feeling. The form O, however, is, it
seems, the one most commonly employed for both uses by modern writers
and correctors for the press. "O, I am slain !" Shak. "O what a fair
and ministering angel !" "O sweet angel !" Longfellow.
O for a kindling touch from that pure flame !
Wordsworth.
But she is in her grave, -- and oh The difference to me !
Wordsworth.
Oh for a lodge in some vast wilderness !
Cowper.
We should distinguish between the sign of the vocative and the
emotional interjection, writing O for the former, and oh for the
latter.
Earle.
O dear, ∧ O dear me! [corrupted fr. F. O Dieu! or It. O Dio! O God!
O Dio mio! O my God! Wyman.], exclamations expressive of various
emotions, but usually promoted by surprise, consternation, grief, pain,
etc.
Oad (d), n. See Woad. [Obs.] Coles.
Oaf (f), n. [See Auf.] Originally, an elf's child; a changeling left by
fairies or goblins; hence, a deformed or foolish child; a simpleton; an
idiot.
Oaf"ish, a. Like an oaf; simple. -- Oaf"ish*ness, n.
Oak (k), n. [OE. oke, ok, ak, AS. c; akin to D. eik, G. eiche, OHG.
eih, Icel. eik, Sw. ek, Dan. eeg.]
1. (Bot.) Any tree or shrub of the genus Quercus. The oaks have
alternate leaves, often variously lobed, and staminate flowers in
catkins. The fruit is a smooth nut, called an acorn, which is more or
less inclosed in a scaly involucre called the cup or cupule. There are
now recognized about three hundred species, of which nearly fifty occur
in the United States, the rest in Europe, Asia, and the other parts of
North America, a very few barely reaching the northern parts of South
America and Africa. Many of the oaks form forest trees of grand
proportions and live many centuries. The wood is usually hard and
tough, and provided with conspicuous medullary rays, forming the silver
grain.