Where does “ou” come from?
Ou is an English word derived from Hawaiian ʻōʻū, which comes from Dutch oud, Old Dutch ald, and Proto-Indo-European al-, originally meaning old or to grow.
ou (English): A probably extinct species of Hawaiian...
Definitions
- A probably extinct species of Hawaiian...
Ancestry of “ou”, step by step
ou traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Afrikaans ou
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Afrikaans | ou | An old fellow, guy, bloke; attributive form of... |
| 2 | Dutch | oud | old |
| 3 | Middle Dutch | out | old |
| 4 | Old Dutch | ald | — |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | ald | old |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | aldaz | old, grown up |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eltós | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂él- | to grow, nourish |
via Hawaiian ʻōʻū
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaiian | ʻōʻū | — |