och

Etymology

Compare Early Modern English och, Scottish Gaelic och, Irish och. Compare also Scots ach, Scots ouch.

Interjection

och

1. (chiefly Scotland, Ireland) general interjection of confirmation, affirmation, and often disapproval.
2. (chiefly Scotland, Ireland) an expression of anger, frustration, surprise
   • 2014 September 14, John Oliver, “Scottish Independence”, in Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, season 1, episode 17, HBO:

     “Och, ooh, it’s so confusing, it hurts my wee head! I’m just a woman, you know, just a pair of ovaries and some bangs! How do I have the mental capacity to pick from one of two options? Put me down for a no, and never trust me with an important decision again!”

Anagrams

• Cho, HCO, OHC

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɔx/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔx

Interjection

och

1. alas

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɔx/

Interjection

och

1. expressing endearment, pity, consideration, etc.

Etymology

From a Middle High German contraction och or possibly *uch, from ouch, from Old High German ouh, from Proto-Germanic *auk. Cognate with German auch (“also”), Dutch ook (“also”), West Frisian ek (“also, too”), Icelandic og (“and”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /oχ/

  Rhymes: -oχ

Adverb

och

1. also
2. even

Alternative forms

• (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan, Sutsilvan, Surmiran) otg
• (Vallader) ot

Etymology

From Latin octō.

Number

och

1. (cardinal, Puter) eight

Interjection

och

1. alas

Etymology

From Old Swedish ock, ok, from Old Norse ok, unstressed variant of Proto-Germanic *auk (“also”). Cognate with Norwegian and Danish og and with Dutch ook and German auch.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɔ/
• IPA^(key): /ɔkː/ when emphasised

• audio

  (file)

Conjunction

och

1. and; used to connect two homogeneous (similar) words or phrases

   Jag gillar hundar och katter.

   I like dogs and cats.

2. and; used to denote the last item of a list

   äpplen, apelsiner och päron

   apples, oranges and pears

3. (mathematics) and, plus

   Två och tre är fem.

   Two and three is five.

4. used to connect two finite verbs to denote that the two actions are performed at the same time

   Jag sitter och läser.

   I'm sitting and reading.

5. used to connect two finite verbs to denote that the first is done in order to be able to do the second

   Ska vi gå och bada?

   Should we go swimming?

6. (poetic) Introduces a main clause which somehow is bound to a previous clause

   Och det vart afton, och det vart morgon, den andra dagen.

   And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.