أو - Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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From Proto-Semitic *ʔaw. Cognate with Hebrew אוֹ (’o), Ugaritic 𐎜 (ủ /ʾō/).
أَوْ • (ʔaw)
- indicates an inclusive disjunction
كُلِ التَّمْرَ الْهِنْدِيَّ أَوِ ٱشْرَبِ الْبُرْتُقَالَ.
- kuli t-tamra l-hindiyya ʔawi šrabi l-burtuqāla.
- Eat the tamarind! Or drink the orange-juice!
- (only in declaratives) indicates an exclusive disjunction
كُلُّ شَيْءٍ إِمَّا مَوْجُودٌ أَوْ غَيْرُ مَوْجُودٍ.
- kullu šayʔin ʔimmā mawjūdun ʔaw ḡayru mawjūdin.
- Every object is either existent or inexistent.
لَا أَدْرِي هَلْ صَاحِبُكَ شَقِيٌّ أَوْ سَعِيدٌ.
- lā ʔadrī hal ṣāḥibuka šaqiyyun ʔaw saʕīdun.
- I do not know whether your friend is happy or downhearted.
- أَمْ (ʔam) is used in questions where only one option is correct, possible or needed, and أَوْ (ʔaw) is used if more options may be correct.
هَلْ سَيَأْتِي أَبُوكَ أَوْ أُمُّكَ؟
- hal sayaʔtī ʔabūka ʔaw ʔummuka?
- Will your mother or your father come? (will anyone of them come?)
هَلْ سَيَأْتِي أَبُوكَ أَمْ أُمُّكَ؟
- hal sayaʔtī ʔabūka ʔam ʔummuka?
- Will your mother or your father come? (which one will come?)
- → Swahili: au
- Wehr, Hans (1979) “أو”, in J. Milton Cowan, editor, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, 4th edition, Ithaca, NY: Spoken Language Services, →ISBN
South Levantine Arabic
أو • (ʔaw)