Oes

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A grandchild, a term used in Scots and Shetland dialect for a grandson or granddaughter of someone
2. Used in Shetland and Scots dialect to mean a grandchild, typically a child of one's son or daughter
3. The regional word for a grandchild in parts of Scotland and the Shetland Islands, referring to a child of one's offspring

Etymology: "Oes" is a term from architecture and decoration, used for a row of small circular or oval ornaments, often carved or moulded, set along a moulding. Its name is simply the letter "o," with the plural ending "-es" added, because the ornament resembles that letter in shape. The word is therefore a straightforward formation: an English letter name joined to a plural suffix, applied to a decorative motif that looks like a string of tiny O's. It is a plain descriptive coinage rather than a borrowing, so its history lies in the visual likeness the name records.

Synonyms: grandchild