O
/oʊ/noun
The name of the letter O, used in English in exclamations, direct address, and poetic apostrophe.
Did you know?The letter O ultimately comes from a Phoenician sign for an eye, which the Greeks adapted into omicron and omega—so even a simple shout of “O!” carries a very old visual history.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Sinaitic
PS
ʿayn
“eye”
Phoenician
Phn
ʿayin
“eye”
Ancient Greek
Gk
omicron / omega
“the short and long vowel letters O”
Latin
Lat
O
“the letter O”
Old English
OE
o
“the letter O”
Modern English
Eng
O
“the letter O; an exclamation or vocative particle”