ob
English edit
Pronunciation edit
Etymology 1 edit
From Latin ob, abbreviation of obolus.
Noun edit
ob (plural obs)
- (historical) a halfpenny
Etymology 2 edit
Abbreviations.
Noun edit
ob (plural obs)
- (archaic) an objection
- (genetics) the obese gene
- (meteorology) observation
Coordinate terms edit
- (objection): sol
See also edit
- ob-gyn (etymologically unrelated)
Anagrams edit
Czech edit
Etymology edit
Inherited from Old Czech ob, from Proto-Slavic *obь.
Pronunciation edit
Preposition edit
ob [+accusative]
Related terms edit
Further reading edit
German edit
Etymology 1 edit
From Middle High German obe, ob, from Proto-Germanic *jabai (“when, if”). Compare English if.
Pronunciation edit
Conjunction edit
ob
- (subordinating) Introduces an indirect question, a doubt. if, whether.
- ob ... oder ― if ... or
- Ich weiß nicht, ob sie krank ist.
- I don't know if she's sick
- Hast du sie gefragt, ob sie kommt?
- Did you ask her if she's coming?
- Ob das wirklich wahr ist?
- Is it really true?
- (conditional, obsolete, except in als ob) if, in case
Usage notes edit
A general trick to remember whether to use ob or wenn is that if whether could be used in the English sentence, then ob needs to be used in the German sentence.
Etymology 2 edit
From Middle High German obe, from Old High German oba, from Proto-Germanic *ub (“under”), from Proto-Indo-European *upó (“under, below”). Related with über, oben.
A chiefly Upper German word, pronounced with a short vowel in Alemannic areas and with a long vowel in Austro-Bavarian areas. In the north, the short vowel is from etymology 1, perhaps also reinforced by association with regional forms of auf (Central Franconian op, Low German up, op). The long vowel is standard in Obacht, beobachten.
Pronunciation edit
Preposition edit
ob
- (formal, literary, + genitive; rare with dative) on account of
- Synonyms: angesichts, wegen
- 2019, Editorial Staff, “Große Enttäuschung nach Abbruch vom Seifenkistenrennen”, in Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger[1]:
- Viele Seifenkisten haben ob ihrer dünnen Räder nicht die Bodenhaftung eines normalen Autoreifens und verfügen nur über so genannte Stempelbremsen.
- Many soapbox cars, on account of their thin wheels, do not have the traction of a normal car tire and have only so-called spoon brakes at their disposal.
- (archaic or dialectal, + dative) over, above, on
- Synonym: über
Antonyms edit
Derived terms edit
Further reading edit
Latin edit
Etymology edit
From Proto-Italic *op, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁epi. Cognate with Ancient Greek ἐπί (epí), Sanskrit अपि (ápi), Avestan 𐬀𐬌𐬞𐬌 (aipi), Old Persian [script needed] (apiy), and Old Armenian եւ (ew). Also related to English by.
The accusative is from the pre-PIE directional and the PIE direct object.
Pronunciation edit
Preposition edit
ob (+ accusative)
- in the direction of, to, towards
- on account of, according to, because of, due to, for (the purpose of)
- against; facing
Derived terms edit
References edit
- “ob”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “ob”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- ob in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
- Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book[2], London: Macmillan and Co.
- I blame this in you; I censure you for this: hoc in te reprehendo (not ob eam rem)
- I blame this in you; I censure you for this: hoc in te reprehendo (not ob eam rem)
- DIZIONARIO LATINO OLIVETTI
Luxembourgish edit
Etymology edit
From Proto-Germanic *jabai (“when, if”), from Proto-Indo-European *e-, *ē- (“then, at that time”). Cognate with English if, West Frisian oft (“whether”), Dutch of (“or, whether, but”), Middle Low German ef (“if, whether”), German ob (“if, whether”), Icelandic ef, if (“if”).
Pronunciation edit
Adverb edit
ob
Old Irish edit
Noun edit
ob f
- Alternative form of aub
Volapük edit
Etymology edit
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Pronunciation edit
Pronoun edit
ob
- I (first-person singular, nominative)
Declension edit
| nominative | genitive | dative | accusative | possessive | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st person | singular | ob | oba | obe | obi | obik | |
| plural | obs | obas | obes | obis | obsik | ||
| 2nd person | familiar | singular | ol | ola | ole | oli | olik |
| plural | ols | olas | oles | olis | olsik | ||
| polite | singular | or | ora | ore | ori | orik | |
| plural | ors | oras | ores | oris | orsik | ||
| 3rd person | m | singular | om | oma | ome | omi | omik |
| plural | oms | omas | omes | omis | omsik | ||
| f | singular | of | ofa | ofe | ofi | ofik | |
| plural | ofs | ofas | ofes | ofis | ofsik | ||
| n definite | singular | on | ona | one | oni | onik | |
| plural | ons | onas | ones | onis | onsik | ||
| n indefinite | singular | os | osa | ose | osi | osik | |
| indefinite | singular | oy | oya | oye | oyi | oyik | |
| reflexive | oneself | singular | ok | oka | oke | oki | okik |
| plural | oks | okas | okes | okis | oksik | ||
| each other | singular | od | oda | ode | odi | odik | |
| plural | ods | odas | odes | odis | odsik | ||
White Hmong edit
| < 1 | 2 | 3 > |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinal : ob | ||
Etymology edit
From Proto-Hmong-Mien *ʔu̯i (“two”). Cognate with Iu Mien i.
Pronunciation edit
Numeral edit
ob
References edit
- Ernest E. Heimbach, White Hmong - English Dictionary (1979, SEAP Publications)