O

This dictionary contains only those words that differ from standard Indonesian, following the lists compiled by Takaria & Pieter (1998), Devin, and Pattiasina, with orthography standardised between the three. Stress tends to be noticeably on the penultimate syllable, which plays a significant part in producing the distinctive Ambon accent. Many words are derived from Indonesian by applying the following substitutions:

• Initial -e, -er syllables in grammatical prefixes become -a

  • berdiri → badiri, terbakar → tabakar

• Final -n, -m modifiers become -ng

  • teman → tamang, asam → asang

• Final -k, -h modifiers are dropped

  • anak → ana, bersih → barsi

• Final -u syllable becomes -o

  • arus → aros, mabuk → mabo

• Initial -e, -er syllables more generally become -a

  • mesin → masing, lentera → lanterna

o’o   “i see!”   interjection

o₁   [see ose]   noun

o₂   [untranslatable: a particle that goes on the end of a sentence for a softening or smoothing effect**]   interjection

oba pasang   gun powder   noun

oba sageru   the root of the garcinia cowa tree, used in the fermentation stage of sageru production   noun

oba₁   medicine   noun

oba₂   active agent   noun

oba₃   alter   verb

oe₁   “hello!”   interjection

oe₂   “hey!” (exclamation to get someone’s attention)   interjection

oeng   heartwood, the internal core of a branch or tree trunk   noun

ofen   oven   noun

ofor   pass (something to someone)   verb

oh   (exclamation of disapproval, dislike or disbelief)   interjection

okor   [see akort]   verb

ola   point with one’s index finger   verb

ole sio   “alas!” (expression of regret or sadness)   interjection

ole   “yes”   interjection

ole-ole   souvenir, gift   noun

oleng   off-kilter   adjective

om   “uncle”, term of address for an older man   noun

oma   “grandfather”/“grandmother”, term of address for an elderly man/woman   noun

omang-omang   the limber hole of a boat   noun

omba guling   waves that impact a boat yet do not break   noun

omba hela   a kind of ocean wave   noun

omba pica-pica   breaking waves   noun

omba puti-puti   waves breaking on the surface of the sea   noun

omba   wave   noun

omba-omba   wavy   adjective

ombong   dew   noun

ompong   gap between teeth due to tooth loss   noun

ompreng   bowls or plates made of aluminum or zinc   noun

ona   [see nona]   noun

onar   (of reputations) sullied   adjective

onde   lottery   noun

onde-onde   a cake identical to the onde-onde found in malay-influenced regions (called klepon in java), but grated cassava is used instead of rice flour   noun

ondo   the indian three-leaved yam (dioscorea hispida)   noun

ondo-ondo   pay attention to   verb

ondos   [see onosel]   noun

ong   your (shortened form of “ose pung”)   adjective

ongkos   cost   noun

onosel₁   forward, presumptuous   adjective

onosel₂   inordinately interested the opposite sex   adjective

onosel₃   likes to harrass women   adjective

ontal₁   handful of small foods such as nuts, sweets, etc.   noun

ontal₂   globular, sticky mass   noun

ontua   [see antua]   noun

oou   a large coconut shell used to find, for example, kanari nuts or cloves (?)   noun

opa   “grandfather”, term of address for an elderly man   noun

opal   tacking into the wind   verb

oras   general time of day   noun

orat₁   tendon   noun

orat₂   wood grain   noun

os   [see ose]   noun

osa   something that can’t be cooked, such as cassava or sweet potato, because when peeled it looks blackish (?)   noun

ose   you (rude)   pronoun

ostar   oyster   noun

ostrali   australia   noun

oto aer   water tanker truck   noun

oto bes   bus   noun

oto demu   tuk-tuk   noun

oto minya   fuel tanker truck   noun

oto trek   delivery truck   noun

oto   car   noun

oweher   elderly gentleman   noun

oyang   “great-grandparent”, nickname for children named after their great-grandparents   noun