The Facts on File Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases (Writers Reference) (54 page)

nulli secundus (nalee sekun(1as) LATIN
[second to none] adjective phrase the
first-class, of the first rank.

numero uno (noomaro oono, nyoomaro oonO) ITALIAN [number one]
noun phrase number one; the best,
most important, or prominent person
or thing: "Her grandfather likes to think
he is still numero uno in the organization."

nunc dimittis (nungk damitis) LATIN
[now lettest thou depart, from the
opening words of the Song of Simeon
in Luke 2:29-32] noun phrase a canticle or prayer said at evensong and
compline, or music written to accompany this; may also refer generally to
any dismissal or permission to depart.

nunchaku (nanchakoo, nanchahkoo)
JAPANESE [from Okinawa dialect]
noun in Japanese martial art, a type
of weapon comprising two sticks connected by a short strap or chain.

nuncio (nanseeo, nuunseeo) ITALIAN
[from nunzio, ultimately from Latin
nuntius messenger] noun a papal
legate who represents the papacy in
a foreign country or who undertakes

special missions on behalf of the
Pope: "I arranged with the Nuncio ...
that we should receive written information of Romayne's state of health, and
on that understanding we returned to
England" (Wilkie Collins, The Black
Robe, 1881).

nuoc mam (nwok mahm) VIETNAMESE
[fish sauce or pickling brine, from
nuoc water and mam salted fish] noun
phrase a spicy, salty fish sauce, used
in South East Asian cuisine as a seasoning.

nymphomania (nimfaneea,nimfaiyni),a) GREEK [madness of the bride,
from numph bride and mania madness]
noun excessive sexual desire in the
female.

O.A.M.D.G. See OMNIA AD MAJOREM
DEI GLORIAM.

ob. See OBIIT.

obbligato (oblagahto), obligato ITALIAN [obligatory, past participle of obbligare to oblige] adjective (in music)
obligatory, indispensable, not to be
omitted. -noun (plural obbligatos
or obbligati, oblagahtee) a passage
of music written to accompany a
solo or the main melody. abbreviated
form obb.

obi (obee) JAPANESE [belt] noun a
sash worn round the waist as part of
traditional Japanese dress: "Carpenters
had torn out the partition between front
parlor and back parlor, thrown it into a long
room on which she lavished yellow and deep
blue; aJapanese obi with an intricacy of gold
thread on stiff ultramarine tissue, which she
hung as a panel against the maize wall ..."
(Sinclair Lewis, Main Street, 1922).

obiit (obeeit), obit LATIN [he/she/it
died] noun (in epitaphs) died. abbreviated form ob.

obiit sine prole (obeeit sinayrolay),
obit sine prole LATIN [he/she/it died
without offspring] noun phrase (in
genealogy) died without offspring.
'abbreviated form o.b.s.p., o.s.p.

obit See OBIIT.

obiter (obita) LATIN [meanwhile, incidentally] adverb in passing, by the
way. -adjective incidental.

obiter dictum (obiter diktam) LATIN
[something said by the way] noun
phrase (plural obita dicta, obite
dikte) an incidental remark, observation, or opinion: "The judge made
his opinion clear in an obiter dictum, but
this cannot be considered a precedent for
future cases."

obit sine prole See OBIIT SINE PROLE.

objet d'art (obzhay dar) FRENCH [art
object] noun phrase (plural objets
d'art) a work of art, an object
of artistic value, a curio: "The store
window was full of trinkets and objets
d'art."

objet trouve (obzhay troovay) FRENCH
[found object] noun phrase (plural
objets trouves) a natural object,
usually found by chance, that is considered to have artistic or aesthetic
value in itself.

obligato See OBBLIGATO.

obscurum per obscurius (obskyooram
per obs oori5s) LATIN [the obscure
by the still more obscure] noun
phrase (in logic) an explanation of
the obscure that is even more obscure
than what it attempts to explain.

o.b.s.p. See OBIIT SINE PROLE.

ocarina (okareena) ITALIAN [from
oca goose (referring to its gooselike
shape)] noun a crude musical wind
instrument comprising an oval body
with several fingerholes and a mouthpiece: "The child picked up the ocarina
and produced three ethereal, piping notes."

odalisque (odalisk) TURKISH [odalik chambermaid, from oda chamber]
noun a female slave or concubine in
a harem; may also refer more generally to any sexually attractive female:
"He beheld about her shoulders the amber
tresses of the `Odalisque bathing'; she had
the long waist of the medieval chatelaines;
she resembled, too, the Pale Woman of Barcelona'; but above all she was the Angel!"
(Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary,
1857).

Odeon (odeean), odeum GREEK [from
oideion place for song] noun (plural
odeons or odea, odeea) a theater
or concert hall.

odium (odeeam) LATIN [hatred, from
odisse to hate] noun opprobrium,
infamy, disrepute, unpopularity, hatred,
detestation; may also refer to the state
of being hated or disliked or to an
object inspiring such feelings: "It took
many years for the party to shake off the
odium of corruption following accusations
of electoral fraud."

odyssey (odasee) GREEK [after Homer's epic poem the Odyssey, describing
the voyages of Odysseus] noun an
epic or lengthy voyage or period of
wandering (actual or spiritual): "She
had not realized that research into her
family history would take her on such a
remarkable odyssey through her country's
history."

Oedipus complex (edapas kompleks,
eedapas kompleks) GREEK [after the
legendary Oedipus, the prince of
Thebes, unknowingly killed his father
and married his mother] noun phrase
(in psychology) a personality disorder in which the subject becomes
obsessively jealous or hostile toward
the parent of the same sex or feels
sexual desire for the other parent.

oeil-de-boeuf (er da baf) FRENCH
[ox's eye] noun phrase (plural oeils de-boeuf) a small, round window
or alternatively a small antechamber
in a palace.

oesophagus See ESOPHAGUS.

oestrus See ESTRUS.

oeuvre (ervrd) FRENCH [work, product] noun a literary or artistic work,
or a large body of work (usually
referring to the life work of an artist,
composer, or writer): "The first symphony is still considered the maestro's most
sign cant oeuvre."

Ole (614) SPANISH [hurray] interjection
bravo! (shout of approval at some
feat or accomplishment, traditionall), shouted as a salute by crowds at
bullfights).

Ohm (olim) LATIN [formerly] adverb
formerly, at one time, in times past.

olla podrida (ola podreeda) SPANISH
[rotten pot] noun phrase (plural ollas
podridas) (in Spanish and Latin
American cuisine) a richly seasoned
meat and vegetable stew containing a
wide variety of ingredients; may also
refer more generally to any miscellany
or medley of incongruous objects.

-ology (olajee) LATIN [from -logia,
from Greek logos word] suffix the
science or study of, e.g., mythology,
psychology.

oloroso (ol2isO) SPANISH [fragrant]
noun a full-bodied medium-sweet
Spanish sherry.

olympiad (alimpeead) GREEK [after
Olympia, Greece, where the Olympic
Games were held in ancient times]
noun the celebration of the Olympic Games, held every four years; it
referred originally to the four-year
intervals between the games: "The last
olympiad proved a financial and public
relations triumph and set a new standard
for future organizers."

Olympian (alimpeean) GREEK [after
Olympia, Greece, where the Olympic Games were held in ancient
times] adjective of or relating to the
Olympic Games or to Olympus, the
home of the gods in classical mythology; may also refer more generally to
anyone whose imposing character
or remarkable achievements suggest
godlike status: "The blacksmith drew
himself up to his full height and glared
with Olympian fury at his tormentors."

om (om) SANSKRIT [from the syllables a, u, m, representing the three
main Hindu deities] interjection mantra intoned by Hindus and Tibetan
Buddhists during meditative contemplation of ultimate reality.

ombudsman (ombuudzman) SWEDISH
[from ombud representative] noun
(plural ombudsmen) a government official or other authority who investigates complaints against other public
officials and bodies: "It has just been
announced that the affair is to be investigated by the ombudsman."

O.M.D.G. See OMNIA AD MAJOREM
DEI GLORIAM.

omega (orga, omega, omeega)
GREEK [from o mega large o] noun the
last letter of the Greek alphabet, used to
indicate the end or the last of a series.

omerta (omcrtah) ITALIAN [dialect
variant of umilta humility] noun the
code of silence observed by members
of the mafia and other similar criminal
organizations.

om mani padme hum (om manee
padmay hoom) SANSKRIT [oh goddess Manipadma] interjection mantra
intoned by Tibetan Buddhists as a
prayer or aid (luring meditation.

omnia ad Majorem Del Gloriam
(omncca ad miyoram davee loreeam)
LATIN [all to the greater glory of
God] noun phrase everything to the
greater glory of God (the motto of
the order of St. Francis). -abbreviated
forms O.A.M.D.G., O.M.D.G.

omnia vincit amor See AMOR vINCIT
OMNIA.

omnibus (omnibas) LATIN [for all,
dative plural of omnis all] noun a

book or television or radio program
in which several stories or episodes
are brought together: "Some new stories
will appear in an omnibus of the great
man's writings to be published next month."
-adjective of or relating to a publication or program containing several
items.

omusubi (omoosuubcc) JAPANESE [rice
balls] plural noun triangular or oval
rice balls with a savory filling, usually
served wrapped in nori (edible seaweed) as a snack in Japanese cuisine,
also known as onigiri.

on dit (on(g) dee), on-dit FRENCH
[one says, it is said] noun phrase (plural on dits) a piece of gossip, a
rumor.

onigiri (bnee eeree) JAPANESE [rice
balls] plural noun triangular or oval
rice balls with a savory filling, usually
served wrapped in nori (edible seaweed) as a snack in Japanese cuisine,
also known as omusubi.

onomatopoeia (onamata eca) GREEK
[from onomatopoiia making of a word]
noun the formation of a word through
imitation of the sound associated with
the subject in question. The sound
of the word suggests its meaning:
"The words `buzz; 'hiss,' and `cuckoo' are
examples of f onomatopoeia."

onus (onaS) LATIN [burden, load]
noun (plural onuses, onasiz) a burden, duty, obligation, or blame; the burden
of proof: "Now that the allegations have
been made public, the onus is on the government to prove it acted correctly"

op. See OPERA; OPUS.

op. cit. See OPERE CITATO.

opera (opara) ITALIAN [work] noun
a form of musical drama consisting of
recitatives, arias, and choruses with
full orchestral accompaniment, or
an example of this; may also refer to
a theater or other organization presenting such performances: `For many
people, a night at the opera is an experience only to be enjoyed if someone else is
paying."'abbreviated form op.

opera bouffe (opara bOOf) FRENCH
[from Italian opera buffa comic opera]
noun phrase a genre of satirical
comic opera.

opera buffa (opara boofa) ITALIAN
[comic opera] noun phrase a genre of
farcical comic opera of a type popular
in Italy in the 18th century.

opera comique (opara komeek)
FRENCH [comic opera] noun phrase a
form of opera in which musical passages are interspersed with spoken
dialogue.

opera seria (opara seree5) ITALIAN
[serious opera] noun phrase (plural
operas seria or operie serie) a form of opera dealing with heroic or
mythological characters or incidents.

opere citato (opara), sitahto) LATIN
[in the work cited] adverb phrase (in
bibliographical references) in the
work previously cited. abbreviated
form op. cit.

operetta (opareta) ITALIAN [diminutive of opera work] noun a genre of
romantic comic opera; a short light
opera: "The two men each wrote several
operettas with other partners before starting
on their celebrated collaboration."

opprobrium (orobreeam) LATIN
[disgrace, infamy, from opprobare to
reproach] noun (plural opprobriums
or opprobria) contempt, distaste,
reproach, or something giving rise
to disgrace or shame: "Bartle spoke these
last words in a rasping tone of reproach, and
looked at Vixen, who poked down her head
and turned up her eyes towards him with
a keen sense of opprobrium..." (George
Eliot, Adam Bede, 1859).

optimum (opta.mam) LATIN [best]
adjective greatest, best, most favorable: "Everything has been carefully
planned to ensure the optimum chance
of the safe return of the shuttle to earth."
noun the greatest amount or degree
possible.

opus (opas) LATIN [work, deed] noun
(plural opuses, opasiz, or opera, opara) an artistic work (especiall), in
reference to a musical composition):
"No one expected the composer's next opus to
take the form of a comic opera.."- abbreviated forms op., Op.