I saw it in a historical info sign in the sentence "Ce métier ô combien difficile et périlleux a disparu progressivement avec le temps." I was astonished to encounter a one-letter word that I'd never seen before. The wiktionary entry gives no definition, and the TLF entry is a bit confusing. What does this word mean? Is it very formal, or very rare?
asked Sep 28, 2016 at 0:22
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2In fact the French wiktionary entry does give a definition.– mljSep 28, 2016 at 18:09
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1Same O as in "O Captain! My Captain!" - except with a hat.– mcadorelApr 21, 2022 at 10:38
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3 Answers
The word "ô" is essentially an outdated way of saying "oh !", and rarely used by itself except as part of this set phrase "ô combien + adjective" that means "(this job) oh so (difficult and dangerous)", expressing awe in an emphatic and often ironic fashion.
ps : J'ai trouvé ça drôle, moi aussi, la première fois que je l'ai rencontré.
answered Sep 28, 2016 at 1:03
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Famous line from Le Cid: Ô rage ! ô désespoir ! ô vieillesse ennemie !.– DestalSep 28, 2016 at 6:17
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The Latin word o that had a wide range of usage (From the Gaffiot: to call, invoke, wish, express surprise, indignation, happiness, pain, …), has produced three French interjections pronounced the same way: oh, ho, and ô. They have some overlapping meanings but also their own specificity.
The ô variant is more literary, that's likely the reason why you hadn't seen it before.
Unlike the others, ô is always followed by another word while oh and ho can be used alone or as part of a short exclamatory sentence. The one word sentence "ô ! " is "forbidden".
Oh ! combien de marins, combien de capitaines… - Victor Hugo
Ô rage ! ô désespoir ! ô vieillesse ennemie ! N'ai-je donc tant vécu que pour cette infamie ? - Corneille
Oh là la ! (Oh, boy!, Yikes!)
Ho ! Hisse ! (Heave-ho!, one, two, three, hup!)
Ho ! combien de fois il faut te le répéter ? (Hey!)
Ce pont, ô combien nécessaire, … (much needed)
While ô combien might sometimes be used an ironical way, there is absolutely no sign of irony in your quote:
Ce métier ô combien difficile et périlleux a progressivement disparu avec le temps
This occupation, how difficult and perilous was it !, has faded away over time.
Because of the exceptional tides and the shifting sands, the Moulières d'Honfleur were risking their lives collecting the mussels.
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Ha "it is forbidden." One of the strictest and most important laws of France. Sep 28, 2016 at 9:50
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@jlliagre As far as I understand now, an ironic tone is the key when you use this "ô combien + adjective" expression. As such, if you don't insinuate irony in any way whatsoever and just want to emphasise straightforwardly what you feel (for instance, "how beautiful!" with no sense of irony involved), should you use some other expression? Merci. Sep 28, 2016 at 18:31
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3@LUNA ô combien is often but not always ironical. There is no sign of irony in the OP quote "ô combien difficile et périlleux" and no risk for it to be understood that way unless of course the context tells otherwise. This is definitely not the case after identifying the original source.– jlliagreSep 28, 2016 at 22:41
From the Wiki: "O is used in the vocative, that is, as an invocation, in order to address something or someone." "With how sad steps, O Moon, thou climb’st the skies!" -- Sir Philip Sydney
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1Hi Linda, this would benefit from examples in French. As it stands, it seems to address the English. Please see the help center and tour, et bienvenue sur French language SE. Apr 20, 2022 at 20:04
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As it’s currently written, your answer is unclear. Please edit to add additional details that will help others understand how this addresses the question asked. You can find more information on how to write good answers in the help center.– Community BotApr 20, 2022 at 20:04
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This answer is correct. But you need to add a French source for the French version.– LambieApr 20, 2022 at 21:43