о-

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *o(b), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃ebʰi.

Prefix

о- • (o-) (also об- (ob-) and обо- (obo-) before certain letters)

1. prefix added to adjectives or nouns to produce factitive verbs in conjunction with -ить (-itʹ), i.e. verbs with the meaning of making (someone or something) the mentioned characteristic or property

   • See -ить (-itʹ) for examples.

2. prefix added to adjectives or nouns to produce fientive verbs in conjunction with -ить (-itʹ) + -ся (-sja) or with -еть (-etʹ), i.e. verbs with the meaning of becoming or receiving the mentioned characteristic or property

   о- (o-) + зо́лото (zóloto, “gold”) + -и́ть (-ítʹ) + -ся (-sja) → озолоти́ться (ozolotítʹsja, “to receive gold; (figuratively) to get rich”)

   о- (o-) + зелёный (zeljónyj, “green”) + -ить (-itʹ) + -ся (-sja) → озелени́ться (ozelenítʹsja, “to become green; to become planted”)

   о- (o-) + безлю́дный (bezljúdnyj, “uninhabited, depopulated”) + -еть (-etʹ) → обезлю́деть (obezljúdetʹ, “to become depopulated”)

3. prefix added to verbs of motion: about, around

   обо- (obo-) + идти́ (idtí, “to go”) → обойти́ (obojtí, “to go around”)

4. prefix added to nouns: close by, around

   окра́ина (okráina, “outskirts, periphery”)

   обо́чина (obóčina, “roadside, curb”)

5. prefix added to verbs: completely, to the full extent
6. prefix added to verbs, with the suffix -ся (-sja): to fail at (some action)

   о- (o-) + говори́ть (govorítʹ, “to speak”) + -ся (-sja) → оговори́ться (ogovorítʹsja, “to make a slip of the tongue”)

7. prefix added to verbs, with the suffix -ся (-sja): to recover from (some action)

   оду́маться (odúmatʹsja, “to change one's mind”)

   опо́мниться (opómnitʹsja, “to regain consciousness”)