oom

See also: Oom, OOM, -oom, -óom, óom, oöm, and 오옴

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Afrikaans oom. Doublet of eam and ohm.

Pronunciation

• (General South African) IPA^(key): /ʊəm/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ʊm/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʊəm, -ʊm

Noun

oom (plural ooms)

1. (South Africa) An older man, especially an uncle. (Frequently as a respectful form of address.) [from 19th c.]
   • 1979, André Brink, A Dry White Season, Vintage, published 1998, page 73:

     He raised his glass. ‘Here's to you, Oom Ben,’ he said. ‘Give them hell.’

See also

• oom-pah

Anagrams

• MOO, Moo, moo, omo-

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch oom, from Middle Dutch oom, from Old Dutch *ōm, from Proto-Germanic *awahaimaz (“maternal uncle”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /oəm/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

oom (plural ooms, diminutive oompie)

1. uncle

Descendants

• → English: oom

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch oom, from Old Dutch *ōm, from Proto-West Germanic *auhaim (“maternal uncle”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /oːm/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: oom
• Rhymes: -oːm

Noun

oom m (plural ooms, diminutive oompje n)

1. uncle

   Synonym: (Belgium) nonkel

Usage notes

• The form ome is sometimes used in combination with names; e.g. ome Bob translates to uncle Bob. But it is never encountered on its own: in the phrase ik heb een oom ("I have an uncle"), the form ome cannot be used instead of oom.

Alternative forms

• ome, noom

Derived terms

• heeroom
• oomschap
• oomzegger
• oudoom
• peetoom
• suikeroom
• waroom

Descendants

• Afrikaans: oom
  • → English: oom
• Berbice Creole Dutch: om
• Negerhollands: noom, nom, noem
  • → Virgin Islands Creole: nom, noom (dated)
• → Ambonese Malay: om
• → Indonesian: om
• → Papiamentu: mò, òn, òmpi (from the diminutive), mo (Aruba), òm (Aruba), omo (Aruba), oom
• → Sranan Tongo: omu
• → West Frisian: omme, omke

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch *ōm, from Proto-West Germanic *auhaim (“maternal uncle”).

Noun

ôom m

1. uncle, brother of one's parent (originally specifically one's mother)

Inflection

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Derived terms

• halfoom
• oomskint
• oomssone
• oudeoom
• overoom
• voloom

Descendants

• Dutch: oom, ome, noom
  • Afrikaans: oom
    • → English: oom
  • Berbice Creole Dutch: om
  • Negerhollands: noom, nom, noem
    • → Virgin Islands Creole: nom, noom (dated)
  • → Ambonese Malay: om
  • → Indonesian: om
  • → Papiamentu: mò, òn, òmpi (from the diminutive), mo (Aruba), òm (Aruba), omo (Aruba), oom
  • → Sranan Tongo: omu
  • → West Frisian: omme, omke
• Limburgish: ome

Further reading

• “oom”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “oom”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN

Wolof

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɔːm/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

oom

1. knee

Yucatec Maya

Alternative forms

• (Campeche): oon

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /oːŋ/

Noun

oom

1. avocado