overwordExplorer
GERMAN · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

ob.

Introduces an indirect question, a doubt. if, whether.

2 characters1 syllables approx.Deutsch language

Meaning & usage

conj/ɔp/
  1. Introduces an indirect question, a doubt. if, whether.

    subordinating
    ob ... oder
    Ich weiß nicht, ob sie krank ist.
  2. if, in case

    conditional · obsolete
Where this word comes from

From Middle High German obe, ob, from Proto-Germanic *jabai (“when, if”). Compare English if.

prep/ɔp//oːp/
  1. on account of

    formal · literary
  2. over, above, on

    archaic · dialectal
Where this word comes from

From Middle High German obe, from Old High German oba, from Proto-Germanic *ub (“under”), from Proto-Indo-European *upó (“under, below”). Related with über, oben. A chiefly Upper German word, pronounced with a short vowel in Alemannic areas and with a long vowel in Austro-Bavarian areas. In the north, the short vowel is from etymology 1, perhaps also reinforced by association with regional forms of auf (Central Franconian op, Low German up, op). The long vowel is standard in Obacht, beobachten.

FROM WORD TO NAME

Try it on your idea.

ob has 2 characters. Say it out loud, try it alongside a description of your project, and see whether its meaning fits what you want to create.

ob studioob workshello, ob

These are naming prompts. Meanings and pronunciation can vary; existing brand and domain uses have not been checked.

Explore the name generator

A word with a source.

Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.