Obo

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A woodwind instrument with two reeds that vibrate against each other to produce sound, typically used in orchestras and chamber music
2. A double-reed woodwind instrument of the oboe family, played by blowing air through two pieces of cane that vibrate together
3. A musical woodwind with a pair of reeds that are made to vibrate, producing the characteristic nasal and penetrating tones heard in classical ensembles

Etymology: "Obo" is an alternative spelling of "ovoo", a term borrowed from Mongolian, where "овоо" (ovoo) means "heap." The word refers to the cairns of stones, often decorated with prayer flags, that stand on hilltops, mountain passes and open steppe across Mongolia and neighbouring regions. Travellers add a stone or make a small offering as they pass, so the heap grows over time. The meaning in Mongolian stays close to the physical object: a pile of stones built up by people. English speakers encountered the word through travel accounts of the region, and the spelling "obo" simply offers a transliteration that drops the doubled vowel. The core sense of a heap, gathered slowly by many hands, is what the word still carries.