Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 06.djvu/612

LEFT o 0, 0, the 15th letter, and the 4th vowel of the English alphabet. is called the labial vowel. In English o has six dis- tinct sounds. (1) The sound of o in not, as in pot. (2) The same sound length- ened by a following r, as in or; and in the digraph ou, as in fought, sought. (3) The sound of o in go; and in the digraphs oe, as in foe, toe; oa, as in groan, moan, boat; and ou in though. This sound is modified by r following the vowel, as in more. (4) The sound of o in who, move, tomb; and in the di- graphs 00, as in room, soon; and ou, as in through, wound. (5) The sound of u in bull or full, as in wolf, woman. (6) The sound of u in tub, as in son, love, come ; and in the digraphs oe, as in does ; 00, as in blood; ou, as in enough, tough. as a symbol is used: As a numeral : As the symbol of noth- ing, or a cipher. In chemistry for the element oxygen. In old music as the sign of tempus perfectutn, or triple time. 0, plural OES, an exclamation used in earnest or solemn address, entreaty, appeal, or invocation, and prefixed to the noun of address. 0', in Irish proper names, a patronymic prefix corresponding to the Mac of the Highlands of Scotland; thus O'Connell means "the son of Connell." OAHU (wa'ho), one of the Hawaiian Islands, between Molokai and Kawai, the most important island of the archipel- ago, on which is the capital Honolulu; length 37 miles; greatest breadth 25 miles; area, 600 square miles. It^ is crossed by two mountain chains running parallel N. W. to S. E., between which is a large dry plain now only useful as pasture land; formerly, when irrigated, more fertile. Highest point Kaala, alti- tude 3,890 feet. OAJACA, or OAXACA (wa-ha'ka), a mountainous state in the S. of Mexico, bordering on the Pacific; area 35,382 square miles; pop. about 1,100,000. The capital, Oajaca, lies 5,060 feet above th« sea, in the fertile valley of the Atoyac. It contains a large cathedral (1729), a quaint bishop's palace, the Seminario Tridentino, and the State Institute, with 34 professors. The manufactures are chiefly chocolate, cotton goods, cigars, candles, and soap. Pop. about 35,000. OAK, any species of the genus Quercus and specifically Q. robur, the common British oak. It is sometimes 60 to 100 feet high, with a girth of 70 feet. There are two varieties — sessiliflora, with ses- sile, and pedunculata, with pedunculated flowers; the latter is the most common in natural woods. Its timber is whitish and hard, that of the other reddish and brittle. The acorns are sometimes used to feed swine. The bark is employed in tanning, and as a coarse kind of febri- fuge. Oak sawdust is an ingredient in dyeing a fustian-color, also drab and brown. The decaying leaves produce heat by fermentation. Also the genus Quercus; or a species or genera more or less resembling the oak; as, the Austra- lian Casuarina. OAKLAND, a city and oounty-seat of Alameda co., Cal. ; on San Francisco Bay, and on the Southern Pacific, West- ern Pacific, and other railroads; 7 miles E. of San Francisco. The city is laid out on a fine slope of ground, overlook- ing the bay. It received its name from a grove of beautiful evergreen oaks in which it was first settled. Its favorable location has made it the residence of many wealthy families, whose business interests are in San Francisco. It con- tains a high school, a convent, a private normal school, several academies, a busi- ness college, library, St. Mary's College, and other educational institutions, a handsome theater, municipal buildings, Auditorium, parks, hospitals, schools, electric street railroads, and National, State and savings banks. It is the trade center of a large and fertile f ruit-grow- 502