po

See also: Appendix:Variations of "po"

Languages (52)

English

---

Akan • Albanian • Amondawa • Asaro'o • Balkan Romani • Bikol Central • Borôro • Chickasaw • Chinese • Cornish • Czech • Dutch • Esperanto • Galician • Guaraní • Guinea-Bissau Creole • Haitian Creole • Hausa • Ido • Imonda • Japanese • Lithuanian • Lower Sorbian • Mandarin • Middle English • Mokilese • Nupe • Old Czech • Old Polish • Paraguayan Guaraní • Polish • Rapa Nui • Samoan • Sardinian • Senggi • Serbo-Croatian • Silesian • Slovak • Slovene • Spanish • Swahili • Tagalog • Tapachultec • Tewa • Tocharian B • Umotína • Volapük • Waris • Western Yugur • White Hmong • Yoruba

---

Page categories

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pəʊ/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊ

Etymology 1

From Middle English po (found also in pocock), from Old English pāwa, pēa (“peacock”), from Proto-Germanic *pāwô (“peacock”), from Latin pāvō. Cognate with Dutch pauw, German Pfau. See also peacock.

Noun

po (plural pos)

1. (obsolete) A peacock. [8th–19th c.]

Etymology 2

A diminutive of pot.

Noun

po (plural pos)

1. (UK, Australia, New Zealand, colloquial, dated) A chamberpot. [from 19th c.]
   • 1988, Richard Hoggart, A Local Habitation, 1918-40, Chatto & Windus, →ISBN, page 67:

     ‘Pos’ or ‘chamber pots’ were provided under the beds.

   • 1989, Leonard Woolf, edited by Frederic Spotts, Letters of Leonard Woolf, page 86:

     There are always several spitoons & pos [chamber pots] about the room & a loathesome smell of consumption, which I expect I shall catch.

   • 2016, Alan Moore, Jerusalem, Liveright, published 2016, page 44:

     Shaking the last few drops from off the end he looked down in surprise at the great head of steam that brimmed above the po, belatedly apprised of just how icy the October garret was.

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:chamber pot

Derived terms

• po-faced

Descendants

• Yoruba: póò

Etymology 3

Clipping of police.

Noun

po pl (plural only)

1. (slang) The police.
   • 2008, Megan T. White, Rounding the Finish Line, Baltimore, M.D.: PublishAmerica, →ISBN, page 209:

     "Basically it's a celebration of all the gearheads in the area," Rob told him. "Sometimes we get busted by the po, but we always find a new place to show off our rides. Enjoy this lot while we have it."

   • 2009, Debra Webb, Secrets in Four Corners, Toronto, Ont. […]: Harlequin, →ISBN, page 155:

     "'Bout time the po' got here," someone said loud enough for Bree to hear.

   • 2018, U-God [Lamont Hawkins], Raw: My Journey Into the Wu-Tang, New York, N.Y.: Picador, →ISBN, page 89:

     Now, one of the rules I had—this is another reason why certain police probably respected us dudes—when it was hot, when I saw certain po, we would shut it down. We left. I would just leave. I would give them they space and let them go.

Alternative forms

• po'

Related terms

• po-po

Etymology 4

From Hokkien 薄 (po̍h / po̍k, “weak”).

Alternative forms

• poh

Pronunciation

• (Singapore) IPA^(key): [p˭o]

Adjective

po (not comparable)

1. (Singapore, colloquial, used as a modifier after kopi (“coffee”) or teh (“tea”)) Thinner; with more water added to dilute it.

Related terms

• C
• di lo
• gah dai
• gau
• kosong
• O
• peng
• siew dai

See also

(etymologically unrelated terms containing "po"):

• Hine-nui-te-po
• jan ken po
• kung po
• Ning-po
• po-mo
• po po
• Tzu-po

Anagrams

• OP, Op., op, op.

Akan

Pronunciation

• Tone: LL

Verb

po

1. to bully

   po mo - to bully you

References

• Christaller, Johann Gottlieb (1881) A Dictionary of the Asante and Fante Language Called Tshi (Chwee, Tw̌i)‎^[3], Basel, page 381

Albanian

Etymology

According to Brian D. Joseph, it is a difficult word with unclear root. Hamp claims origin from Proto-Indo-European *pest (“so”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɔ/

• Audio:

  (file)

Particle

po

1. yes
2. Used with the present and imperfect tense of a verb to show a continuous action.
   It corresponds to the English "be + gerund" formation.

Amondawa

Verb

po

1. do (make, work, perform)

References

• V. da Silva Sinha et al, Event-based time intervals in an Amazonian culture, in Space and Time in Languages and Cultures: Language, Culture, and Cognition

Asaro'o

Alternative forms

• fo (Molet Kasu, Molet Mur)

Noun

po

1. water

Further reading

• John Carter, Katie Carter, John Grummitt, Bonnie MacKenzie, Janell Masters, A Sociolinguistic Survey of the Mur Village Vernaculars (2012), page 50

Balkan Romani

Etymology

Borrowed from Macedonian по- (po-) or dialectal Serbo-Croatian.

Particle

po

1. -er, more; forms comparative adjectives and adverbs.
2. follows the definite article to form the superlative

Bikol Central

Etymology

Borrowed from Tagalog po.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpoʔ/ [ˈpoʔ]

Particle

pò (Basahan spelling ᜉᜓ)

1. (formal, polite) marks respect toward the person the speaker is addressing

   Synonym: tabi

   Dagos po kamo.

   Come on in, Sir/Ma'am.

   Ma, maduman po ako sa simbahan.

   Mom, I am going to church.

Borôro

Noun

po

1. Synonym of pobo (“water”)

References

• Mônica Cidele da Cruz, Povo Umutína : a busca da identidade linguística e cultural [Les Umutína : À la recherche d’une identité linguistique et culturelle], Université Unicamp / Campinas, 2012, page 40

Chickasaw

Pronoun

po

1. our

Chinese

Etymology

Borrowed from English post.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): pōu, pō

  (Zhuyin): ㄆㄡ, ㄆㄛ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): pou¹

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese, Mainland)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: pōu
    • Zhuyin: ㄆㄡ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: pou
    • Wade–Giles: pʻou¹
    • Yale: pōu
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: pou
    • Palladius: поу (pou)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pʰoʊ̯⁵⁵/
      
  • (Standard Chinese, Taiwan)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: pō
    • Zhuyin: ㄆㄛ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: po
    • Wade–Giles: pʻo¹
    • Yale: pwō
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: po
    • Palladius: по (po)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pʰu̯ɔ⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: pou¹
    • Yale: pōu
    • Cantonese Pinyin: pou¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: pou¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pʰou̯⁵⁵/

Verb

po

1. (Internet slang) to post

   • fb狂po相，朋友易受傷 [Cantonese, trad.]
     fb狂po相，朋友易受伤 [Cantonese, simp.]

     From: [4]

     fb kwong⁴ pou¹ soeng^3-2, pang⁴ jau⁵ ji⁶ sau⁶ soeng¹ [Jyutping]

     post too many images on Facebook and you might damage your [relationships with] friends

Noun

po

1. (Internet slang) an Internet post, thread, topic, etc

Derived terms

• po主 (pōuzhǔ)
• po文
• 自po (Cantonese)
• 追po (Cantonese)
• 開po / 开po (Cantonese)

Cornish

Etymology 1

According to an Gerlyver Meur, either an unstressed form of py (“which”) or provected form of the present-future subjunctive of bos (“to be”).

Alternative forms

• bo

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɔ/

Conjunction

po

1. or

Etymology 2

Contraction of pa (“when”) and the present-future subjunctive of bos (“to be”).

Pronunciation

• (Revived Late Cornish) IPA^(key): /poː/

Contraction

po

1. (Revived Late Cornish) Contraction of pa vo (“when ... is”).

   po'chy ha dha wreg pries

   when you and your wife are married

   po margh ledrys

   when a horse is stolen

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈpo]

• Audio:

  (file)

Etymology 1

Noun

po n

1. Abbreviation of pondělí (“Monday”).

Declension

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Etymology 2

From Old Czech po, from Proto-Slavic *po, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó.

Preposition

po [with locative]

1. after

Preposition

po [with accusative]

1. (space, time, scales, lists) up to, for
2. (dimension) all through

Further reading

• “po”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “po”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
• “po”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech), 2008–2025

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowing from French pot.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /poː/
• Rhymes: -oː

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

po m (plural po's, diminutive pootje n)

1. chamber pot

Descendants

• → Papiamentu: pò

Anagrams

• op

Esperanto

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [po]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: po

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Russian по (po) and Polish po.

Preposition

po

1. A grammatical particle used with quantity words to indicate rate or a distributive quantity: each, apiece, at, @

   Antonym: -ope

   Mi kudrados ĉiutage po 10 horoj. ― I will sew 10 hours a day.

   Oni povas nokti po 6 frankoj. ― You can spend the night for 6 francs (a night).

   La kurso daŭras dum 10 tagoj po 30 minutoj. ― The course lasts 10 days at 30 minutes (a day).

   La komitato estas rebalotota ĉiun trian jaron po triono. ― A third of the committee is reelected every third year.

   La gastoj trinkis po (unu) glaseton da vino. ― The guests each drank one glass of wine.

   Ili ricevis po 5 pomojn. ― They received 5 apples apiece.

   Elektu al vi po 3 homojn el ĉiu tribo. ― Choose for yourselves 3 people (apiece) from each tribe.

Derived terms

• po-
• poa

Etymology 2

Noun

po (accusative singular po-on, plural po-oj, accusative plural po-ojn)

1. The name of the Latin-script letter P/p.

See also

• (Latin-script letter names) litero; a, bo, co, ĉo, do, e, fo, go, ĝo, ho, ĥo, i, jo, ĵo, ko, lo, mo, no, o, po, ro, so, ŝo, to, u, ŭo, vo, zo

Galician

Alternative forms

• pó
• poo

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese poo, from Vulgar Latin *pulus, from earlier *pulvus n, from Latin pulvis m, from Proto-Indo-European *pel- (“flour, dust”). Compare Portuguese pó. Doublet of polvo, which was borrowed from Spanish polvo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈpɔː]

Noun

po m (plural pos)

1. dust
   • 1276, M. Lucas Álvarez, P. Lucas Dominguez, editors, El monasterio de San Clodio do Ribeiro en la Edad Media: estudio y documentos, Sada / A Coruña: Edicións do Castro, page 375:

     et este pan deue a seer qual o Deus der no logar et seer linpo de palla et de poo, d'eruellada et de mosceyra, et deue a seer ben seco et ben linpo et bõõ pan

     and this grain must be that that God gives at that place, and it must be clean of chaff and dust, of vetch and fodder, and it must be well dry and well clean and good grain

2. powder
   • 1409, J. L. Pensado Tomé, editor, Rufus, Jordanus: Tratado de Albeitaria, Santiago de Compostela: Centro Ramón Piñeiro, page 141:

     E Nota que o poo dos collos das abroteas ual mays que todos llos outros, et dos ditos poos deuen vsar nos llugarres neruossos et jntrincados de veas et darterias

     Take note that the powder of the rhizomes of the asphodels has more value than all the rest, and that these powders should be used in places that are nervous and entangled with veins and arteries

Derived terms

• poalla
• poeira

References

• Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, Ana Isabel Boullón Agrelo (2006–2022) “poo”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Xavier Varela Barreiro, Xavier Gómez Guinovart (2006–2018) “poo”, in Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “po”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “po”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “po”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Guaraní

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /po/

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Tupi-Guarani *po, from Proto-Tupian *po.

Cognate with Old Tupi pó.

Noun

po (plural pokuéra)

1. hand

Numeral

po

1. five

Etymology 2

Inherited from Proto-Tupi-Guarani *por, from Proto-Tupian *pot.

Cognate with Old Tupi por.

Verb

po

1. jump

Conjugation

• (che) apo
• (nde) repo
• (ha'e) opo
• (ñande) japo
• (ore) ropo
• (peẽ) pepo
• (ha'ekuéra) opo

Guinea-Bissau Creole

Etymology 1

From Portuguese pau. Cognate with Kabuverdianu pó.

Noun

po

1. tree
2. stick

Etymology 2

From Portuguese pó. Cognate with Kabuverdianu puera.

Noun

po

1. dust

Haitian Creole

Etymology

From French peau (“skin”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /po/

Noun

po

1. (anatomy) skin

Hausa

Etymology

Probably from French pot.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pôː/
  • (Standard Kano Hausa) IPA^(key): [pôː]

Noun

pô m (possessed form pôn)

1. children's toilet

Ido

Etymology

Borrowed from Esperanto po, Russian по (po).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /po/

Preposition

po

1. for, at the price of, in exchange for; per

   Me kompris la domo po quaradek mil euri. ― I bought the house for forty thousand euros.

Imonda

Noun

po

1. water

Further reading

• Walter Seiler, The Main Structures of Imonda (1984)
• Walter Seiler, Imonda: Papuan Language, page 188: "Another excellent example that illustrates the relational character of -l, is provided by po water. When po is used to refer to general water, rain or creeks it has no -l. When it refers to wound water or coconut water it does end in -l."

Japanese

Romanization

po

1. The hiragana syllable ぽ (po) or the katakana syllable ポ (po) in Hepburn romanization.

Lithuanian

Etymology

From Proto-Balto-Slavic *pa (“after, by”) (compare Latvian pa, pa-, Old Prussian po (“after, by, under”), Proto-Slavic *po (“after, by, at”)), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂pó, *h₂epó (“away, from”). Other cognates include Mycenaean Greek 𐀀𐀢 (a-pu, “from”), Sanskrit अप (ápa, “away, off”), Old Persian 𐎠𐎱 (a-p /⁠apa⁠/, “away”), Latin ab (“from”), Gothic 𐌰𐍆 (af, “of”). See pa-, pó- for more.

Preposition

põ

1. under, beneath (movement, position) [with instrumental]
2. (with instrumental or genitive case) beside, near, along (movement, position)
3. (with instrumental or dative case) expresses the direction of movement

   eik põ dešinei ― go to the right

4. after, following a certain time period, event; after the disappearance or loss of [with genitive]
5. expresses gradual progression; one after another [with genitive]

   mẽtai põ mẽtų ― year after year

6. until, up to a certain time [with dative]

   Teñ jiẽ gyvẽna ir̃ põ šiái diẽnai ― they live there until this day

7. around, throughout the whole of [with accusative]

   keliáuti põ Europą ― travel around Europe

8. used to express division into equal parts [with accusative]

   vaikaĩ gãvo põ gãbalą sū́rio ― the kids got a piece of cheese each

   põ truputį ― little by little

9. (with genitive, instrumental or dative case) expresses the manner of an action

Related terms

• apačia
• pa-, po-

Lower Sorbian

Preposition

po

1. Superseded spelling of pó.

Mandarin

Romanization

po (po⁵ / po⁰, Zhuyin ˙ㄆㄛ)

1. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 桲

po

1. Nonstandard spelling of pō.
2. Nonstandard spelling of pó.
3. Nonstandard spelling of pǒ.
4. Nonstandard spelling of pò.

Usage notes

• Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

Middle English

Alternative forms

• pa, paa, paue, pe, poo, poue

Etymology

Inherited from Old English pāwa, pēa, from Proto-Germanic *pāwô, from Latin pāvō. Influenced by the first element of Old Norse páfugl.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɔː/, /ˈpau̯(ə)/, /ˈpɛː/
• (Northern) IPA^(key): /ˈpaː/

Noun

po (plural poos)

1. peacock

Derived terms

• pecok

Descendants

• English: pea, po (archaic)

References

• “pō, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-10-10.

Mokilese

Noun

po

1. shelf

Nupe

Etymology

Cognate to Gbiri-Niragu pobo.

Verb

po

1. to burn, to roast

References

• R. Blench, The Benue-Congo languages
• Samuel Crowther, A Grammar and Vocabulary of the Nupe Language (1864)

Old Czech

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *po.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (13^th CE) /ˈpo/
• IPA^(key): (15^th CE) /ˈpo/

Preposition

po

1. for (for the purpose of) [with accusative or locative]
2. until; after [with accusative]
3. for the entire, all [with accusative]
4. during, in the period of [with accusative or genitive or locative]
5. for the Xth time [with accusative]
6. per, a piece [with accusative or locative]
7. after; because of [with dative or locative]
8. up to; towards [with dative]
9. to behind [with dative]
10. according to [with dative or locative]
11. in the manner of [with dative]
12. for (to what end) [with dative] (of a success or failure)
13. creates adverbs in conjunction with an adjective. [with dative]
14. denotes repeated action. [with dative]
15. on top of; on [with locative]
16. denotes general area as scene of action; around, about; along [with locative]
17. with, by way of [with locative]
18. behind [with locative]
19. after [with locative]
20. carried out by [with locative]
21. in the absence of [with locative]
22. through, by means of [with locative]
23. as to, with regard to [with locative]
24. denotes maximum amount; up to [with locative]
25. denotes price of something. [with locative]
26. more than [with locative]
27. for, for the benefit of [with locative]

Descendants

• Czech: po

References

• Jan Gebauer (1903–1916) “po”, in Slovník staročeský (in Czech), Prague: Česká grafická společnost "unie", Česká akademie císaře Františka Josefa pro vědy, slovesnost a umění

Old Polish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Balto-Slavic *pa

Proto-Slavic *po

Old Polish po

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *po. First attested in the 14th century.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (10^th–15^th CE) /pɔ/
• IPA^(key): (15^th CE) /pɔ/

Preposition

po

1. denotes sequence in time; after [with locative]

   Synonym: pod

2. denotes general location; at, in, on [with locative or dative]
3. (more specifically) along [with locative]
4. denotes previous related person; after [with locative]
5. denotes next in a sequence of people; after [with locative]
6. denotes cause; after; because of [with locative]
7. according to, in accordance with [with locative]
8. denotes an instrument to an acction; with, by means of [with locative]
9. according to, based on [with locative]
10. denotes manner of the object; like, as [with locative]
11. denotes distribution; per [with locative or dative]
12. used in grammatical government; [with locative]
13. it indicates a spatial limit; up to [with accusative]
14. denotes a time when something takes place; during [with accusative or dative]
15. denotes the aim or purpose of an action; for [with accusative]
16. creates an adverb from the next noun; [with accusative]
17. with an ordinal number; denotes which time in a sequence; for the _ time [with accusative]

    Synonym: za

18. denotes the source or agent of an action; [with dative]
19. denotes the distribution of the counted items; [with dative or accusative or locative]

Derived terms

(prefix):

• po-

Descendants

• Polish: po
• Silesian: po

References

• B. Sieradzka-Baziur, Ewa Deptuchowa, Joanna Duska, Mariusz Frodyma, Beata Hejmo, Dorota Janeczko, Katarzyna Jasińska, Krystyna Kajtoch, Joanna Kozioł, Marian Kucała, Dorota Mika, Gabriela Niemiec, Urszula Poprawska, Elżbieta Supranowicz, Ludwika Szelachowska-Winiarzowa, Zofia Wanicowa, Piotr Szpor, Bartłomiej Borek, editors (2011–2015), “po”, in Słownik pojęciowy języka staropolskiego [Conceptual Dictionary of Old Polish] (in Polish), Kraków: IJP PAN, →ISBN

Paraguayan Guaraní

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /po/

Etymology 1

Shortened form of japo.

Noun

po

1. hand

Etymology 2

From po (“five fingers”).

Numeral

po

1. five

Etymology 3

Onomatopoeic

Verb

po

1. to jump

Polish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Old Polish *po

Polish po

Inherited from Old Polish po.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɔ/

• (Middle Polish) IPA^(key): /ˈpɔ/

• Audio 1:

  (file)

• Audio 2:

  (file)

• Audio 3:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔ
• Syllabification: po

Preposition

po

1. after (later in time or sequence) [with locative]

   W piątki po pracy często chodzimy do pubu. ― On Fridays after work we often go to the pub.

   Cały dzień czyta książkę po książce o polityce. ― All day long he reads book after book about politics.

2. after (in pursuit of) [with accusative]

   Jadą po nas! Zmykajcie! ― They're coming after us! Scram!

3. around, about [with locative]

   Mój brat spędził miesiąc podróżując po Polsce. ― My brother spent a month travelling around Poland.

4. past [with locative]

   Wykłady zaczynają się o kwadrans po ósmej. ― Lectures begin at quarter past eight.

5. on [with locative]

   Kobiety siedzą po prawej stronie, a mężczyźni po lewej. ― Women sit on the right hand, and men on the left.

6. for indicates that a container was previously used for something [with locative]

   Co zrobić ze słoikiem po dżemie? ― What can I do with an empty jam jar?

7. from [with locative]

   Tę całą biżuterię odziedziczyłam po matce. ― I inherited all this jewellery from my mother.

   Od razu rozpoznałem go po grzmiącym głosie. ― I instantly recognised him from the booming voice.

8. after (in allusion to), for [with locative]

   Nazwaliśmy naszego syna po zmarłym wujku. ― We named our son after his late uncle.

9. done for (doomed) [with locative]

   Jest już po tobie, brachu. ― You're done for, bro.

10. for (in order to obtain) [with accusative]

    Musimy pójść do sklepu po mleko. ― We have to go to the shop for milk.

11. up to, as far as [with accusative]

    Woda w piwnicy była po kolana. ― The water in the cellar was up to our knees.

12. in, for, at denotes a quantity of something [with accusative]

    Mam trzy zgrzewki po sześć puszek, czyli osiemnaście puszek. ― I have three multipacks of six cans, i.e. eighteen cans.

    Kupiłem te bilety po 20 złotych, a oferuję je po 10. ― I bought these tickets for 20 złoty each, but I'm offering them for 10.

13. according to, in the way of, a la, as [with dative]

    Jego ulubioną potrawą jest karkówka po cygańsku. ― His favourite dish is gypsy pork.

    Lubię ją, ale tylko po przyjacielsku. ― I like her, but only as a friend.

14. in (the language of) [with dative]

    Świetnie mówisz po polsku jak na cudzoziemca. ― You speak great Polish for a foreigner.

    Nie umiem pisać po chińsku. ― I don't know how to write in Chinese.

Usage notes

• Dative adjectives that end in -ski for the lemma take the archaic suffix -sku instead of the usual -skiemu when used with this preposition.

Derived terms

• aż po
• po angielsku
• po co
• po czym
• po drodze
• po kryjomu
• po polsku
• po prostu

Conjunction

po

1. like
2. when

Trivia

According to Słownik frekwencyjny polszczyzny współczesnej (1990), po is one of the most used words in Polish, appearing 282 times in scientific texts, 293 times in news, 195 times in essays, 552 times in fiction, and 406 times in plays, each out of a corpus of 100,000 words, totaling 1728 times, making it the 24th most common word in a corpus of 500,000 words.

Further reading

• po in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• po in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• Maria Renata Mayenowa, Stanisław Rospond, Witold Taszycki, Stefan Hrabec, Władysław Kuraszkiewicz (2010-2023) “po”, in Słownik Polszczyzny XVI Wieku [A Dictionary of 16th Century Polish]
• Samuel Bogumił Linde (1807–1814) “po”, in Słownik języka polskiego
• Aleksander Zdanowicz (1861) “po”, in Słownik języka polskiego, Wilno 1861
• A. Kryński, W. Niedźwiedzki, editors (1908), “po”, in Słownik języka polskiego (in Polish), volume 4, Warsaw, page 274

Rapa Nui

Noun

po

1. night

Samoan

Noun

po

1. night

Sardinian

Alternative forms

• pro

Etymology

From Latin pro.

Preposition

po

1. (Campidanese) for

Senggi

Noun

po

1. water

References

• Cornelis L. Voorhoeve, Languages of Irian Jaya Checklist (1975, Canberra: Pacific Linguistics), page 113

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology 1

From pol, from Proto-Slavic *polъ. See po-.

Alternative forms

• pȏl

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pôː/

Adverb

pȏ (Cyrillic spelling по̑)

1. (Bosnia, Serbia) half

   sat i po ― hour and a half

   četiri i po ― four thirty

   čov(j)ek i po ― an excellent man

Etymology 2

From Proto-Slavic *po, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂(e)po.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pô/

Preposition

pȍ (Cyrillic spelling по̏)

1. for [with accusative]

   otići po ml(ij)eko ― to go and get the milk

   po c(ij)eli dan ― all day long

   po šesti put ― for the sixth time

   biti štetan po nekoga/nešto ― to be harmful for sb/sth

   dobro/loše po njega ― good/bad for him

2. over, through, across, in, on [with locative]

   udariti po glavi ― to hit on the head

   sn(ij)eg je pao po cesti ― snow fell on the road

   voda se prolila po podu ― water spilled over the floor

   šetati po šumi ― to walk in the woods

3. by, with, through (using an intermediary or medium) [with locative]

   Poslao sam mu paket po zajedničkom prijatelju. ― I've sent him a package via a mutual friend.

   po zraku/vodi ― by air/water

4. by, according to [with locative]

   sve ide po planu ― everything is going according to the plan

   Amerika je prva država po bogatstvu u sv(ij)etu. ― America is the richest country in the world.

   po glavi stanovnika ― per capita

   živ(j)eti po principima ― to live according to principles

   po mom(e) mišljenju ― in my opinion

   po mom računu ― by my reckoning

   po meni ― in my opinion; as far as I'm concerned

   svirati po sluhu ― to play by ear

   suditi po vanjštini ― to judge by appearance

5. after [with locative]

   po svršetku sukoba ― after (the end of) the conflict

6. during [with locative]

   po kiši/suncu ― in the rain/sun

   po danu ― during the day

7. in miscellaneous senses in various phrasal constructs [with locative]

   razum(ij)e se (samo) po sebi ― it goes without saying

   neka bude po tvome ― let it be your way

   jednak po veličini ― equal in size

   sve je po starom ― everything is/goes in the accustomed/usual manner

   po običaju ― as usual, according to custom

   po vr(ij)ednosti ― in value

   po svoj prilici ― in all likelihood

   po rodu ― by birth

   po naravi/prirodi ― in nature

   po toj c(ij)eni ― at this price

   po paragrafu 13 ― under section 13

   po što po to ― by all means

   po mogućnosti ― if possible

   po redu ― in order, one after another

   po mom ukusu ― (according) to my taste

   po kvaliteti ― by quality

   po tome ― according to this/that, accordingly, consequently, then

   po zakonu ― according to the law, by the law

   po duljini ― lengthwise

Etymology 3

Particle

po (Cyrillic spelling по)

1. (+ accusative case or nominative case) denoting distribution and succession; by, per, each, apiece

   Popili smo svi po čašicu rakije. ― We all drank a glass of rakija each.

   korak po korak ― step by step

   jedan po jedan ― one by one

   triput po satu ― three times per hour

   Svi smo dobili po jabuku. ― Each of us received an apple.

References

• “po”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2025
• “po”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2025

Silesian

Alternative forms

• pō (before nasals)

Etymology

Etymology tree

Old Polish *po

Silesian po

Inherited from Old Polish po.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɔ/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔ
• Syllabification: po

Preposition

po

1. denotes general location about, around; along [with locative]

   Synonym: na

   Antonyms: nad, pod

2. after [with locative]

   Antonym: przed

3. denotes point in space on [with locative]

   Synonym: z

4. dith certain verbs of speaking; denotes recipient of a message. [with locative]

   Synonym: na

5. denotes maximum amount; up to [with accusative or locative]

   Synonym: z

6. dreates an adverb from an adjective. [with dative] (archaic dative ending in -u)
7. denotes aim of an action; for [with locative]
8. for indicates that a container was previously used for something [with locative]
9. denotes characteristic by which one might recognize something; from [with locative]
10. denotes absence of something or something; after [with accusative]
11. denotes possessor. [with locative]

Related terms

(prefix):

• po-

Further reading

• po in silling.org

Slovak

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *po.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [pɔ]

Preposition

po

This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

Further reading

• “po”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2025

Slovene

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *po.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɔ/

Preposition

po

1. around, about [with locative]
2. along, through (the length of) [with locative]
3. according to
4. in the manner of [with accusative]
5. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

Spanish

Etymology

From pues.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpo/ [ˈpo]
• Rhymes: -o
• Syllabification: po

Interjection

po

1. (Andalusia) emphatic, well

   Synonym: pues

   Po yo pensaba que no. ― Well, I didn't think so.

   Po sí ― Yes.

1. (colloquial, Chile) emphatic

   Synonym: pues

   ¡Sí po! ― Yes, of course!

   ¡Ya, po! ― Come on!

Usage notes

• Always used at the end of a sentence.

Swahili

Pronunciation

• Audio (Kenya):

  (file)

Verb

-po

1. present stem of -wapo (“to be (at a definite place)”)

   tupo ― we are (there)

See also

• -po: verbal affix
• -wako (“to be (at an indefinite place)”)
• -wamo (“to be inside (of a definite place)”)

Tagalog

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *puəq. Compare Malay empu, Indonesian empu, Old Javanese mpu. Also possibly from clipping of poon (“lord”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈpoʔ/ [ˈpoʔ]
• Rhymes: -oʔ
• Syllabification: po

Particle

pô (Baybayin spelling ᜉᜓ)

1. marks respect toward the person the speaker is addressing

   Synonyms: (familiar) ho, (dialectal, emphatic) puko

   Tuloy po kayo. ― Come on in, Sir/Ma'am.

   Pupunta po ako sa simbahan, Inay. ― I am going to church, Mother.

Usage notes

• The word does not appear at a beginning of a sentence unless used alone.
• In standard Tagalog, the word po is more formal and polite than ho. In other dialects, this is not observed and has no difference.
• Old dictionaries indicate that puko was used by women before while po was used by men.

Derived terms

• magpo
• mapagpo
• pi

Related terms

• ipamupo
• mamupo
• mapamupo
• mapupuin
• opo
• pamupuan
• pamupuin
• papamupuin
• papupo
• puko
• pupo
• pupuin
• walang-pupo

Further reading

• “po”, in Pinoy Dictionary, 2010–2025
• Noceda, Fr. Juan José de, Sanlucar, Fr. Pedro de (1860) Vocabulario de la lengua tagala, compuesto por varios religiosos doctos y graves‎^[5] (in Spanish), Manila: Ramirez y Giraudier
• Santos, Fr. Domingo de los (1835) Tomas Oliva, editor, Vocabulario de la lengua tagala: primera, y segunda parte.‎^[6] (in Spanish), La imprenta nueva de D. Jose Maria Dayot
• Potet, Jean-Paul G. (2016) Tagalog Borrowings and Cognates, Lulu Press, →ISBN, page 139
• Blust, Robert; Trussel, Stephen; et al. (2023) “*pueq”, in the CLDF dataset from The Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (2010–), →DOI

Tapachultec

Etymology

Lehmann considers the possibility of a connection to Zoque words for "white" (poopo).

Noun

po

1. moon

Usage notes

• This is the form Lehmann says is given in the Sapper-Ricke wordlists; the form given in Johnston's vocabulary is poot.

References

• Walter Lehmann, Über die Stellung und Verwandtschaft der Subtiaba-Sprache der pazifischen Küste Nicaraguas und über die Sprache von Tapachula in Südchiapas (1915), Zeitschrift für Ethnologie 47, presenting the wordlists of Karl Sapper, Ricke, and Amado Johnston.

Tewa

Noun

póː (high tone)

1. moon

Noun

pòː (low tone)

1. water

Noun

pǒː (gliding tone)

1. trail, road

References

• Marianne Mithun, The Languages of Native North America
• John Peabody Harrington, The Ethnogeography of the Tewa Indians
• My Life in San Juan Pueblo: Stories of Esther Martinez (uses the spelling pˀoe, and mentions a fourth meaning, "pumpkin, squash")

Tocharian B

Etymology

From Proto-Tocharian [Term?] (whence also Tocharian A puk). (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Adjective

po

1. entire, whole

Determiner

po

1. each, every, all

Inflection

• (masc. nom. pl.): poñc

Derived terms

• olyapo (“more, rather than”) (olya + po)

Umotína

Noun

po

1. water

References

• Mônica Cidele da Cruz, Povo Umutína : a busca da identidade linguística e cultural [Les Umutína : À la recherche d’une identité linguistique et culturelle], Université Unicamp / Campinas, 2012, page 40

Volapük

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin post (“behind”).

Preposition

po

1. behind

   Antonym: fo

See also

• po-

Waris

Noun

po

1. water

References

• Bob Brown, Waris grammar sketch, 1990 (2012), page 29

Western Yugur

Etymology

Relate to Shor по, Khakas пу (pu) Tofa бо, Tuvan бо (bo), Karaim бу , Krymchak бу, Southern Altai бу (bu), Kyrgyz бул (bul), etc.

Pronoun

po

1. this

White Hmong

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɒ˧/

Noun

po

1. spleen

References

• John Duffy, Writing from These Roots: Literacy in a Hmong-American Community →ISBN, 2007)

Yoruba

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /k͡pò/

Verb

pò

1. (transitive) to mix, to stir

   Má pò ó pọ̀ síbẹ̀. ― Don't mix it together yet.

2. (transitive) to beat, to whisk

   Bá mi po ẹyin. ― Help me beat the eggs.

3. (transitive) to knead
4. (transitive) to make warm drinks, baby food, or medicine.

   A gbọ́dọ̀ lo omi gbígbóná nígbà tí a bá fẹ́ po tíì. ― We must use hot water when we want to make tea.

Usage notes

• po when followed by a direct object.

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /k͡pó/

Verb

pó

1. to be too small

   awó dára lẹ́yẹ, ṣùgbọ́n orí pó o ― The guinea fowl is a beautiful bird, but it has a very small head