Meaning

(historical) A vocative or exclamative particle appended to street cries, nautical calls, or names to project a hail or shout..

Definitions by Sense

1. (historical) A vocative or exclamative particle appended to street cries, nautical calls, or names to project a hail or shout.
2. A colloquializing suffix, typically appended to names, abbreviations of long words, or substantive uses of adjectives.
3. (humorous) Converts certain words to faux Italian or Spanish. Can be used with Spanish el for expressions such as el stinko.
4. Added to verb stems to create a noun describing an error relating to the action described by the verb.

Example Sentences

smoke + -o → smoko

milk + -o → milko

kid + -o → kiddo

sick + -o → sicko

ugly + -o → uggo

Adrian thought it worth while to try out his new slang. ‘I say, you fellows, here’s a rum go. Old Biffo was jolly odd this morning. He gave me a lot of pi‐jaw about slacking and then invited me to tea. No rotting! He did really.’

no problemo

Word Forms

• -os
• -oes
• more -o
• most -o
• -oh

When Should You Use 5-o?

Use 5-o when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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