o'o

¹ American  

[oh-oh] / ˈoʊ oʊ /

Or 'ō'ō

noun

plural

o’os

1. any of several species of Hawaiian birds of the extinct genus Moho, especially the extinct M. nobilis (Hawaiian o'o ), which had black plumage and two tufts of yellow plumes used to make ceremonial robes for the Hawaiian kings. The last surviving species was M. braccatus (Kauai o'o ), classified as extinct in 1987.

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oo- ² American  

1. a combining form meaning “egg,” used in the formation of compound words.

   oogamous.

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oo- British  

combining form

1. egg or ovum

   oosperm

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Usage

What does oo- mean? Oo- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “egg.” It is used in many scientific terms, especially in biology.Oo- comes from the Greek ōión, meaning “egg.” The Greek ōión helps form the word ōophóros, meaning “egg-bearing” and is the source of the combining form oophoro-, used to indicate the ovary.Distantly related to the Greek ōión is the Latin word for egg, ōvum, source of the related combining forms ov-, ovi-, and ovo-, also used to mean “egg.” The Latin ōvum is ultimately the origin of ovario-, used, like oophoro-, to mean “ovary.”What are variants of oo-?When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, oo- becomes o-, as in oidium.

Etymology

Origin of o'o¹

First recorded in 1885–90; from Hawaiian ʿōʿō

Origin of oo-¹

< Greek ōio-, combining form of ōión egg ¹

Example Sentences

The 1980s was another bad decade for bird loss with 20 species, including the Kauai O'o.

From Science Daily

As I imagine it would happen, beginning at 90 seconds to midnight on Dec. 31, at every 10-second interval, one letter after another gets lighted up until, at the stroke of midnight, the whole sign — H O L L Y W O O D -- is illuminated.

From Los Angeles Times

In August, Bartlett announced the release of his fourth album, “H.O.O.D P.O.E.T.”

From Los Angeles Times

Just last week, Bartlett announced the release of his fourth album, “H.O.O.D P.O.E.T.”

From Los Angeles Times

But there is a return to form in that “Aria of the Ghost Bird,” in which the strings are again suspended, though foundational, under Zhang’s elegant but sorrowful vocal line, which is revealed to be drawn-out adaptation of the Kauai O’o call.

From New York Times