ao

See also: Appendix:Variations of "ao"

Languages (29)

English

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Anuta • Aromanian • Bahnar • Borôro • Carabayo • Chungli Ao • Estonian • Foia Foia • Galician • Hawaiian • Italian • Japanese • Lavukaleve • Mandarin • Maore Comorian • Māori • Mbya Guarani • Paraguayan Guarani • Portuguese • Rapa Nui • Samoan • Swahili • Tagalog • Ternate • Tokelauan • Tongan • Vietnamese • Yoruba

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Page categories

English

Etymology 1

Adverb

ao (not comparable)

1. Initialism of amongst/among/and others.

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Japanese 青(あお) (ao).

Noun

ao (uncountable)

1. grue ("blue or green", considered as one color)

Anagrams

• OA

Anuta

Etymology

Borrowed from Tikopia ao.

Noun

ao

1. day (period of 24 hours)
2. day (period between sunrise and sunset)

References

• Greenhill, S.J., Blust. R, & Gray, R.D. (2008). The Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database: From Bioinformatics to Lexomics. Evolutionary Bioinformatics, 4:271-283.

Aromanian

Adverb

ao

1. alternative form of aoa

Synonyms

• aotsi

Bahnar

Etymology

From Proto-Bahnaric *ʔa:w, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *ʔaawʔ (“upper garment”). Cognates include Vietnamese áo, Khmer អាវ (aau), Muong ảo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔaːw/

Noun

ao

1. shirt

Borôro

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aɔ̯/

Noun

ao

1. hair

Carabayo

Etymology

Compare Yuri ato (“father”).

Noun

ao

1. father

References

• Seifart and Echeverri, Evidence for the Identification of Carabayo, the Language of an Uncontacted People of the Colombian Amazon, as Belonging to the Tikuna–Yurí Linguistic Family, PLoS ONE 9(4) (2014)

Chungli Ao

Etymology 1

From Proto-Central Naga *wa, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *ɢʷra (“to go”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a˧.u˧/, [a˧.u˧]

Verb

ao

1. to go

Inflection

Inflection of ao (Chungli)

		Affirmative	Negative
Past	Simple	ao	mao
	Perfect	ogo	mogo
Present	Simple	aor	maor
	Progressive	odar odagi	modar modagi
Future/infinitive		aotsü	maotsü
Imperative		oang	tao
Present participle		oa	moi
Conditional		ora orabang	mora morabang

Etymology 2

From Proto-Central Naga *r-hwaʔ, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *rV-pa.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a˥.uʔ˩/, [a˥.uʔ˩]

Noun

ao

1. a kind of bamboo (Dendrocalamus hamiltonii)

Further reading

• Bruhn, Daniel Wayne (2014), A Phonological Reconstruction of Proto-Central Naga‎^[5], Berkeley: University of California, pages 87, 183
• Gowda, K. S. Gurubasave (1985), Ao-English-Hindi Dictionary, Mysore: Central Institute of Indian Languages, page 19
• Clark, Mary M. (1893), Ao Naga grammar with illustrative phrases and vocabulary, Molung: Assam Secretariat Printing Office, pages 94, 124

Estonian

Noun

ao

1. genitive singular of agu

Foia Foia

Noun

ao

1. water

References

• Karl J. Franklin, Comparative Wordlist 1 of the Gulf District and adjacent areas (1975), page 67

Galician

Alternative forms

• ó
• al (Galician-Asturian)

Etymology

From contraction of preposition a (“to, towards”) + masculine definite article o (“the”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɔ/
• Rhymes: -ɔ
• Hyphenation: ao

Contraction

ao m (feminine á, masculine plural aos, feminine plural ás)

1. contraction of a (“to/towards”) +‎ o m sg (“the”)

   A xente da miña zona onde ha de ir ao Xubileu ?

   Where will the people of my area go to the Jubilee?

References

• “o”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2026
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “ao”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Seoane, Ernesto Xosé González; Granja, María Álvarez de la; Agrelo, Ana Isabel Boullón (2006–2022), “ao”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval [Dictionary of dictionaries of Medieval Galician] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Barreiro, Xavier Varela; Guinovart, Xavier Gómez (2006–2018), “ao”, in Corpus Xelmírez: corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval [Corpus Xelmírez: linguistic corpus of Medieval Galicia] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega

Hawaiian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈao̯/, [ˈɐo̯]

Etymology 1

From Proto-Polynesian *qaho (“day”), from Proto-Central Pacific *qaco, from Proto-Oceanic *qaco, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *qajaw, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *qajaw, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *qajaw, from Proto-Austronesian *qajaw (“day”). Cognates include Samoan and Tokelauan ao.

Noun

ao

1. light
2. daylight
3. day
4. dawn

Derived terms

• hoʻāo (“marry”, verb)
• naʻauao (“enlightened”)
• Keaopō

Related terms

• awatea (“midday”)

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “could this be an extension of etymology 3?”). Compare Māori ao (“world”).

Noun

ao

1. world
3. earth

Derived terms

• ao holoʻokoʻa (“universe”)

Etymology 3

From Proto-Polynesian *qao, from Proto-Central Pacific *qao, from Proto-Oceanic *qaʀoq. Cognates include Māori, Samoan, and Tongan ao.

Noun

ao

1. cloud

Derived terms

• aokū (“raincloud”)
• aouli (“sky”)

Further reading

• ao in Combined Hawaiian Dictionary, at trussel2.com.

Italian

Interjection

ao

1. dominant spelling of ahó

Japanese

Romanization

ao

1. Rōmaji transcription of あお

Lavukaleve

Verb

ao

1. (intransitive) go in, enter

References

• Terrill, Angela (2003), A Grammar of Lavukaleve, De Gruyter, →ISBN

Mandarin

Romanization

ao

1. nonstandard spelling of āo
2. nonstandard spelling of áo
3. nonstandard spelling of ǎo
4. nonstandard spelling of ào

Usage notes

• Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

Maore Comorian

Adjective

-ao (declinable)

1. alternative form of -awo (“their”)

Māori

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈao/ [ˈɐɔ]

Etymology 1

From Proto-Polynesian *qaho (“day”), from Proto-Central Pacific *qaco, from Proto-Oceanic *qaco, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *qajaw, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *qajaw, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *qajaw, from Proto-Austronesian *qajaw (“day”). Cognates include Hawaiian and Tokelauan ao.

Noun

ao

1. daytime

   Synonyms: rā, rangi

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “could this be an extension of etymology 3?”). Compare Hawaiian ao (“world”).

Noun

ao

1. world

Etymology 3

From Proto-Polynesian *qao, from Proto-Central Pacific *qao, from Proto-Oceanic *qaʀoq. Cognates include Hawaiian, Samoan, and Tongan ao.

Noun

ao

1. cloud

Derived terms

• Aotearoa

References

• John C. Moorfield (2011), “ao”, in Te Aka: Māori–English, English–Māori Dictionary and Index, 3rd edition, Longman/Pearson Education New Zealand, →ISBN
• Tregear, Edward (1891), “ao”, in Maori–Polynesian Comparative Dictionary‎^[6], Wellington, New Zealand: Lyon and Blair, pages 14–5

Mbya Guarani

Noun

ao

1. clothing, clothes

Paraguayan Guarani

Etymology

Cognate with Old Tupi aoba.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [aˈo]
• Rhymes: -o
• Hyphenation: a‧o

Noun

ao

1. clothes

References

• Canese, Natalia Krivoshein de; Alcaraz, Feliciano Acosta (2016), “ao”, in Ñe’ẽryru [Dictionary] (overall work in Spanish), Asunción: Instituto Superior de Lenguas, →ISBN, page 15, column 1

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• ò (archaic)

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /aw/ [aʊ̯]

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /aw/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /aw/
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ɔ/

• Audio (Brazil (São Paulo)):

  (file)

• Audio (Portugal (Porto)):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ao

Contraction

ao (feminine à, masculine plural aos, feminine plural às)

2. contraction of a (“to”) +‎ o m sg (“the”)

Quotations

• For quotations using this term, see Citations:ao.

Rapa Nui

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *ao (“to scoop up”). Cognates include Tokelauan ao and Māori ao.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈa.o/
• Hyphenation: a‧o

Verb

ao

1. (transitive) to serve (food)

References

• Paulus Kieviet (2017), A grammar of Rapa Nui‎^[7], Berlin: Language Science Press, →ISBN, page 395

Samoan

Etymology 1

From Proto-Polynesian *qaho (“day”), from Proto-Oceanic *qaco, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *qajaw, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *qajaw, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *qajaw, from Proto-Austronesian *qajaw (“day”). Cognates include Hawaiian and Tokelauan ao.

Noun

ao

1. day

Etymology 2

From Proto-Polynesian *qao, from Proto-Oceanic *qaʀoq. Cognates include Hawaiian and Tokelauan ao.

Noun

ao

1. cloud

References

• Milner, G.B. (1993), Samoan Dictionary, Auckland: Polynesian Press, →ISBN, page 21

Swahili

Pronunciation

• Audio (Kenya):

  (file)

Adjective

-ao (declinable)

1. their (third-person plural animate possessive adjective)

Inflection

Inflected forms of -ao

Noun class	singular	plural
m-wa class(I/II)	wao	wao
m-mi class(III/IV)	wao	yao
ji-ma class(V/VI)	lao	yao
ki-vi class(VII/VIII)	chao	vyao
n class(IX/X)	yao	zao
u class(XI)	wao	see n(X) or ma(VI) class
pa class(XVI)	pao
ku class(XVII)	kwao
mu class(XVIII)	mwao

See also

Swahili possessive adjectives

			singular	plural
1st person			-angu	-etu
2nd person			-ako	-enu
3rd person			-ake	-ao (animate) -ake (inanimate)

Tagalog

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈʔaʔo/ [ˈʔaː.ʔo]
• Rhymes: -aʔo
• Syllabification: a‧o

Interjection

ao (Baybayin spelling ᜀᜂ) (Bataan, informal)

1. yes

   Synonym: oo nga

   Antonym: hindi

Usage notes

• Said for emotional emphasis.

Anagrams

• OA

Ternate

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈa.o]

Noun

ao

1. planks for a canoe

References

• Rika Hayami-Allen (2001), A descriptive study of the language of Ternate, the northern Moluccas, Indonesia, University of Pittsburgh

Tokelauan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈa.o]
• Hyphenation: a‧o

Etymology 1

From Proto-Polynesian *qaho (“day”), from Proto-Oceanic *qaco, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *qajaw, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *qajaw, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *qajaw, from Proto-Austronesian *qajaw (“day”). Cognates include Hawaiian and Samoan ao.

Noun

ao

1. daylight
2. daytime

Verb

ao

1. (intransitive) to be daylight

Etymology 2

From Proto-Polynesian *qao, from Proto-Oceanic *qaʀoq. Cognates include Hawaiian and Samoan ao.

Noun

ao

1. cloud

Etymology 3

From Proto-Polynesian *ao, from Proto-Central Pacific *a(r)o. Cognates include Māori and Samoan ao.

Verb

ao

1. (transitive) to gather

Etymology 4

From Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *qao. Cognates include Māori and Samoan ao.

Verb

ao

1. (intransitive) to be good at gathering food

Etymology 5

From Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *qao (“authority”). Cognates include Tahitian ao (“heaven”) and Samoan ao (“chief”).

Noun

ao

1. head, chief

Etymology 6

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Verb

ao

1. (transitive) to shape (wood)

Etymology 7

From Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *ao. Cognates include Tahitian and Tuvaluan ao.

Noun

ao

1. A grossly misformed coconut without any flesh or juice inside.

Synonyms

• tama

References

• R. Simona, editor (1986), Tokelau Dictionary‎^[8], Auckland: Office of Tokelau Affairs, page 2

Tongan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a.o/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Polynesian *qao, from Proto-Oceanic *qaʀoq. Cognates include Hawaiian and Tokelauan ao.

Noun

ao

1. cloud

Derived terms

• aoaofia

Etymology 2

From Proto-Polynesian *qaho.

Noun

ao

1. headdress
2. front of an island

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔaːw˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔaːw˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ʔaːw˧˧]

Etymology 1

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 澳 (“bay, inlet”, SV: áo). Compare Thai อ่าว (àao), Khmer អាវ (ʼaaw).

Noun

(classifier cái) ao • (㘭, 坳, 泑, 𪵲, 𬇚)

1. pond
   • Nguyễn Khuyến, "Thu điếu (Autumn Fishing)"

     Ao thu lạnh lẽo; nuớc trong veo;
     Một chiếc thuyền câu bé tẻo teo;

     The cold autumn pond; the clear water;
     A tiny, itsy-bitsy, fishing boat;

   • 1686 Matsuo Bashō, Haru no Hi, "No. 41"; 2007 Vietnamese translation by Nhật Chiêu; English translation by Reginald Horace Blyth

     Ao cũ, con ếch nhảy vào, vang tiếng nước xao.

     The old pond; A frog jumps in — The sound of the water.

Derived terms

• ao đầm
• ao hồ

Etymology 2

Verb

ao • (呦)

1. to measure roughly, to measure approximately

Derived terms

• ao ước
• ước ao

Further reading

• Hồ Ngọc Đức, editor (2003), “ao”, in Việt–Việt‎^[9] (DICT), Leipzig: Free Vietnamese Dictionary Project (details), archived from the original on 12 November 2024

Yoruba

Aó

Alternative forms

• awó
• aghó

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ā.ó/

Noun

aó

1. (Ekiti) Ekiti form of awó (“guinea fowl; (in particular) Western crested guineafowl”)

   Synonyms: ẹtù, etù

Etymology 2

Cognate with Igala àwó, Olukumi awó, Itsekiri éwó, proposed to be derived from Proto-Yoruba *à-wó, ultimately from Proto-Yoruboid *à-wó

Alternative forms

• àwó (Ọ̀wọ̀)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /à.ó/

Noun

àó

1. (Ekiti) slap

   Synonyms: ìfọ́tí, àbàtàó, àbàrá, ìgbátí

Derived terms

• àbàtàó

Etymology 3

Alternative forms

• awo

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ā.ō/

Noun

ao

1. (Ekiti) alternative form of awo (“secret, that which is secretive”)

   Synonyms: àṣírí, ohun ìkọ̀kọ̀

2. (Ekiti) alternative form of awo (“cult, sect; especially pertaining to Ifa or the Ifa oracle”)
3. (Ekiti) alternative form of awo (“the worship of Ifá”)
4. (Ekiti) alternative form of awo (“priest of Ifá or Ọrúnmìlà”)

   Synonyms: babaláo, aláo, ọlị́fá

5. (Ekiti, by extension) alternative form of awo (“respected member of a guild; especially one of musicians and dramatists”)
6. (Ekiti) a prefix in given names and surnames used by Ifa priests and their descendants

Derived terms

• babaláo, aláo (Ifa priest)
• ulé-ao (“traditional Ifa temple or shrine”)
• Aóòláyì
• Aóòláyè (“a Yoruba name meaning "The Ifa oracle does not lie"”)
• Ọlọ́fịnṣao (“a Yoruba name meaning "Olofin worships Ifa"”)

Related terms

• Ịfá
• ilé-awo

Etymology 4

Compare with Ifè àwò

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /à.ō/

Noun

ào

1. (Ekiti) Ekiti form of àwo (“plate”)

   Synonyms: tánganran, aféfe

Etymology 5

From a- (“nominalizing prefix”) +‎ ò (“to look”)

Alternative forms

• uò

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ā.ò/

Noun

aò

1. (Ekiti) Ekiti form of awò (“lens”)

   Synonym: aò-ojú

Derived terms

• aò-ojú (“glasses”)