Onomatology On`o·ma·tol"o·gy noun [ Greek ..., ... +
-logy .]
The science of names or of their classification.
Onomatopœia On`o·mat`o·pœ"ia noun [ Latin , from Greek ...; ..., ..., a name + ... to make.]
(Philol.) The formation of words in imitation of sounds; a figure of speech in which the sound of a word is imitative of the sound of the thing which the word represents; as, the buzz of bees; the hiss of a goose; the crackle of fire. » It has been maintained by some philologist that all primary words, especially names, were formed by imitation of natural sounds.
Onomatopœic On`o·mat`o·pœ"ic adjective Onomatopoetic. Whitney.
Onomatope O·nom"a·tope noun [ See
Onomatopœia .]
An imitative word; an onomatopoetic word.
Onomatopoetic On`o·mat`o·po·et"ic adjective Of or pertaining to onomatopœia; characterized by onomatopœia; imitative; as, an onomatopoetic writer or word. Earle.
Onomatopy On`o·mat"o·py noun Onomatopœia.
Onomomancy O·nom"o·man`cy noun See Onomancy .
Onondagas On`on·da"gas noun plural ; sing.
Onondaga (Ethnol.) A tribe of Indians formerly inhabiting what is now a part of the State of New York. They were the central or head tribe of the Five Nations.
Onrush On"rush` noun A rushing onward.
Onset On"set` noun [
On +
set .]
1. A rushing or setting upon; an attack; an assault; a storming; especially, the assault of an army. Milton. The onset and retire
Of both your armies.
Shak. Who on that day the word of onset gave.
Wordsworth. 2. A setting about; a beginning. [ Obsolete]
Shak. There is surely no greater wisdom than well to time the beginnings and onsets of things.
Bacon. 3. Anything set on, or added, as an ornament or as a useful appendage. [ Obsolete]
Johnson.
Onset On"set` transitive verb 1. To assault; to set upon. [ Obsolete]
2. To set about; to begin. [ Obsolete]
Carew.
Onslaught On"slaught` noun [ Middle English
on on +
slaught ,
slaht , slaughter. See
Slaughter .]
1. An attack; an onset; esp., a furious or murderous attack or assault. By storm and onslaught to proceed.
Hudibras. 2. A bloody fray or battle. [ Scot.]
Jamieson.
Onstead On"stead noun [ Possibly a corruption of
homestead .]
A single farmhouse; a steading. [ Prov.Eng. & Scot.]
Grose. Jamieson.
Onto On"to preposition [
On +
to . Confer
Into .]
On the top of; upon; on. See On to , under On , preposition
Ontogenesis, Ontogeny On`to·gen"e·sis, On·tog"e·ny noun [ See
Ontology , and
Genesis .]
(Biol.) The history of the individual development of an organism; the history of the evolution of the germ; the development of an individual organism, -- in distinction from phylogeny , or evolution of the tribe. Called also henogenesis , henogeny .
Ontogenetic On`to·ge·net"ic adjective (Biol.) Of or pertaining to ontogenesis; as, ontogenetic phenomena. --
On`to*ge*net"ic*al*ly adverb
Ontogenic On`to·gen"ic adjective (Biol.) Ontogenetic.
Ontologic On`to·log"ic adjective Ontological.
Ontological On`to·log"ic·al adjective [ Confer French
ontologique .]
Of or pertaining to ontology.
Ontologically On`·to·log"ic·al·ly adverb In an ontological manner.
Ontologist On·tol"o·gist noun [ Confer F.
ontologiste .]
One who is versed in or treats of ontology. Edin. Rev.
Ontology On·tol"o·gy noun [ Greek ... the things which exist (pl.neut. of ..., ..., being, present participle of ... to be) +
- logy : confer French
ontologie .]
That department of the science of metaphysics which investigates and explains the nature and essential properties and relations of all beings, as such, or the principles and causes of being.
Onus O"nus noun [ Latin ]
A burden; an obligation. Onward On"ward adjective 1. Moving in a forward direction; tending toward a contemplated or desirable end; forward; as, an onward course, progress, etc. 2. Advanced in a forward direction or toward an end. Within a while, Philoxenus came to see how onward the fruits were of his friend's labor.
Sir P. Sidney.
Onward On"ward adverb Toward a point before or in front; forward; progressively; as, to move onward . Not one looks backward, onward still he goes.
Pope.
Onwardness On"ward·ness noun Progress; advancement.
Onwards On"wards adverb [ See
-wards .]
Onward.
Ony On"y adjective Any. [ Obsolete]
Chaucer. On"y*cha noun [ New Latin , from Latin
onyx ,
-ychis , onyx, also, a kind of mussel, Greek ..., .... See
Onyx .]
1. An ingredient of the Mosaic incense, probably the operculum of some kind of strombus. Ex. xxx. 34. 2. The precious stone called onyx . [ R.]
Onychia O·nych"i·a noun [ New Latin See
Onyx .]
(Medicine) (a) A whitlow. (b) An affection of a finger or toe, attended with ulceration at the base of the nail, and terminating in the destruction of the nail.
Onychomancy On"y·cho·man`cy noun [ Greek ..., ..., a finger nail +
-mancy : confer French
onychomancie .]
Divination by the nails.
Onychophora On`y·choph"o·ra noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek ..., ..., a claw + ....]
(Zoology) Malacopoda.
Onyx O"nyx noun [ Latin , from Greek ... a claw, finger nail, a veined gem. See
Nail , and confer
Onycha .]
(Min.) Chalcedony in parallel layers of different shades of color. It is used for making cameos, the figure being cut in one layer with the next as a ground. Onyx marble ,
a banded variety of marble or calcium carbonate resembling onyx. It is obtained from Mexico.
Oo Oo adjective One. [ Obsolete]
Chaucer.
Ooidal O·oi"dal adjective [ Greek ...;
w,'o`n an egg + ... form.]
(Biol.) Shaped like an egg.
Ook Ook noun Oak. [ Obsolete] "A branched
ook ."
Chaucer.
Oolong Oo"long noun [ Chinese, green dragon.]
A fragrant variety of black tea having somewhat the flavor of green tea. [ Written also
oulong .]
Oomiac, Oomiak Oo"mi·ac, Oo"mi·ak noun A long, broad boat used by the Eskimos.
Oon Oon adjective One. [ Obsolete]
Chaucer.
Oones Oones adverb Once. [ Obsolete]
Chaucer.
Oop Oop transitive verb [ Etymol. uncertain.]
To bind with a thread or cord; to join; to unite. [ Scot.]
Jamieson.
Oopack, Oopak Oo"pack, Oo"pak noun [ So named from a district in China.]
A kind of black tea.
Ooze Ooze noun [ Middle English
wose , Anglo-Saxon
wase dirt, mire, mud, akin to
w...s juice, ooze, Icelandic
vās wetness, Old High German
waso turf, sod, German
wasen .]
1. Soft mud or slime; earth so wet as to flow gently, or easily yield to pressure. "My son i' the
ooze is bedded."
Shak. 2. Soft flow; spring. Prior. 3. The liquor of a tan vat.
Ooze Ooze intransitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Oozed ;
present participle & verbal noun Oozing .] [ Prov. Eng.
weeze ,
wooz . See
Ooze ,
noun ]
1. To flow gently; to percolate, as a liquid through the pores of a substance or through small openings. The latent rill, scare oozing through the grass.
Thomson. 2. Fig.: To leak (out) or escape slowly; as, the secret oozed out; his courage oozed out.
Ooze Ooze transitive verb To cause to ooze. Alex. Smith.
Ooze Ooze noun (Oceanography) A soft deposit covering large areas of the ocean bottom, composed largely or mainly of the shells or other hard parts of minute organisms, as Foraminifera, Radiolaria, and diatoms. The radiolarian ooze occurring in many places in very deep water is composed mainly of the siliceous skeletons of radiolarians, calcareous matter being dissolved by the lage percentage of carbon dioxide in the water at these depths.
Ooze leather Ooze leather Leather made from sheep and calf skins by mechanically forcing ooze through them; esp., such leather with a soft, finely granulated finish (called sometimes velvet finish ) put on the flesh side for special purposes. Ordinary ooze leather is used for shoe uppers, in bookbinding, etc. Hence Ooze calf , Ooze finish , etc.
Oozy Ooz"y adjective Miry; containing soft mud; resembling ooze; as, the oozy bed of a river. Pope.
Opacate O·pa"cate transitive verb [ Latin
opacatus , past participle of
opacare .]
To darken; to cloud. [ Obsolete]
Boyle.
Opacity O·pac"i·ty noun [ Latin
opacitas : confer F. opacité.]
1. The state of being opaque; the quality of a body which renders it impervious to the rays of light; want of transparency; opaqueness. 2. Obscurity; want of clearness. Bp. Hall.
Opacous O·pa"cous adjective [ Latin
opacus . See
Opaque .]
Opaque. [ R.]
Milton. --
O*pa"cous*ness ,
noun [ R.]
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