Where does “ous” come from?
Ous derives from Hawaiian ʻōʻū, from Dutch oud, from Old Dutch ald, from Proto-Indo-European h₂el- and al-, roots meaning "to grow" or "nourish."
ous (English): plural of ou
Definitions
- plural of ou
Ancestry of “ous”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ou | A probably extinct species of Hawaiian... |
| 2 | Afrikaans | ou | An old fellow, guy, bloke; attributive form of... |
| 3 | Dutch | oud | old |
| 4 | Middle Dutch | out | old |
| 5 | Old Dutch | ald | — |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | ald | old |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | aldaz | old, grown up |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eltós | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂él- | to grow, nourish |