Adopted fromLatin-o-, originating ultimately fromAncient Greek-ο-(-o-).In English, the connective is found from the Middle English period in direct borrowings from Latin. Direct formations of English terms with the connective, always combining Greek or Latin roots, appear from the 16th or 17th century. From the 18th century, the suffix becomes productive in compounds where the second element is English. From about 1800, formations on all sorts of stems become common.
Used to joinstems intocompound words when a vowel is needed to separate the syllables, for example, to prevent contact between voiced and unvoicedphonemes. Although-o is the nominal ending,-o- is generally used in compounds regardless of the part of speech of the joined elements.
Adopted from the thematic vowel inAncient Greek-ο-(-o-), often used to form nominal compounds. In Ancient Greek, the connective suffix originates in compounds where the first member is thematic, such asδημοκρατία(dēmokratía), but was extended by analogy to other stems, such asμητρόπολις(mētrópolis). The suffix was borrowed as a connective into Latin, mainly in compounds of Greek origin.
The suffix becomes productive and forms new compounds in learned humanist Latin, from the Renaissance. The connective is especially productive in connecting ethnonyms or geographical terms; genuine Greek stems includeGallo-, andSyro-, but most are of medieval or modern origin, productive from the 15th century, such asAnglo-,Graeco- orLatino-.
Used as interfix in compounds with certain old weak feminines ending in-a. Some common ones arehälsa(“health”), e.g.hälsocentral(“health center”);kvinna(“woman”), e.g.kvinnoorganisation(“women's organisation”);känsla(“feeling”), e.g.känsloliv(“emotional life”);vecka(“week”), e.g.veckodag(“day of the week”);vila(“rest”), e.g.vilopuls(“resting heart rate”);lära(“teaching, theory”), e.g.läromedel(“teaching aids”);föda(“food, diet”), e.g.födoämne(“foodstuff”);människa(“human”), e.g.människovärde(“human dignity”);saga(“tale”), e.g.sagobok(“storybook”), etc.
Alternates with a zero interfix (vowel deletion) in some words, cf.kyrkogård(“churchyard”), butkyrktorn(“church tower”);kronofogde(“enforcement officer”), butkronblad(“petal”).
The interfix was formerly mostly confined to the written literary language, whereas the spoken colloquial language preferred compounds with no-o- or with-e- in some dialects, but forms with-o- are now common in the spoken language, and formerly colloquial pronunciations such askörrgård forkyrkogård are today less common.
, Oxford:Oxford University Press, launched 2000.