jo

• (Scotland) IPA^(key): /d͡ʒoː/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -oː

From Scots jo (“joy”), from Middle English joye, from Old French joie, from Late Latin gaudia, neuter plural (mistaken as feminine singular) of Latin gaudium (“joy”), from gaudēre (“to be glad, rejoice”). Doublet of joy and gaudy (“Oxford college reunion”).

jo (plural jos)

1. (Scotland) Darling, sweetheart.
   • 1711, traditional, published by James Watson, Old Long Syne:

     On Old long syne my Jo,
     on Old long syne,
     That thou canst never once reflect,
     on Old long syne.

   • My Jo Janet (traditional Scottish song)

     Keek into the draw-well, Janet, Janet;
     There ye'll see your bonnie sel',
     My jo, Janet.

• joe

Borrowed from Japanese 杖.

jo (plural jo)

1. The staff used in the Japanese martial art of jodo or jojutsu.

• OJ

Likely a babble word, compare Turkish yok (“no”), and its derivates in other Balkanic languages such as Romanian ioc, Macedonian јок (jok). Comparison with German ja (“yes”)[1] is semantically hard to explain.

• IPA^(key): /jɔ/

• Audio

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jo

1. negates non-verbal phrases: no, not

• nauk (Tetova)
• nouk (Gostivar)

• mos
• nuk
• s'

Unknown.

• Audio

  (file)

• IPA^(key): (Navarro-Lapurdian) /ɟo/ [ɟo]

• Rhymes: -o
• Hyphenation: jo

jo du (imperfect participle jotzen, future participle joko, short form jo, verbal noun jotze)

1. to hit, strike, punch
2. (music) to play

   Gitarra jo nahi dut. ― I want to play the guitar.

3. to knock, rap

   Gizon itsusi batek etxeko atea jo du. ― An ugly man knocked on the door.

4. to crash
5. to head, go
6. to blow (the wind)

   Synonym: ibili

• "jo" in Euskaltzaindiaren Hiztegia [Dictionary of the Basque Academy], euskaltzaindia.eus
• “jo” in Orotariko Euskal Hiztegia [General Basque Dictionary], euskaltzaindia.eus

Cognate with Icelandic jú, Swedish jo. Equivalent to standard High German doch.

• IPA^(key): /joː/

jo

1. yes (in response to a negative question).

   Woids es ned na fuat heid? Jo, owa's wedda is a weng schlecht.

   Wolltet ihr nicht noch heute furt? Doch, aber das Wetter is etwas schlecht.

Inherited from Old Catalan jo~io~yo, from Vulgar Latin eō (attested from the sixth century), from Latin ego, from Proto-Italic *egō, from Proto-Indo-European *éǵh₂; akin to Greek εγώ (egó), Sanskrit अहम् (aham), all from Proto-Indo-European *éǵh₂. Compare Occitan jo, Spanish yo, French je, Italian io.

• (Central) IPA^(key): /ˈʒɔ/, /ˈjɔ/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /ˈjo/, /ˈjɔ/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -o, -ɔ

jo (strong)

1. I
2. (after certain prepositions) me

• mi (after most prepositions)

jo m (uncountable)

1. ego (the self)

   Synonym: ego

• “jo” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “jo”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “jo” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “jo” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Compare Polish jo.

• IPA^(key): [ˈjo]

• Audio

  (file)

jo

1. (colloquial) yeah, yep

   Synonym: ano

   Antonym: ne

• jo in Příruční slovník jazyka českého, 1935–1957
• jo in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989

• io

From Latin ubi. Compare Romanian iuo, Italian ove, French où, Old Spanish o.

• IPA^(key): /jo/

jo

1. where

Borrowed from Middle Low German jo. Used like Swedish ju, German ja (adverb) / je (conjunction).

• IPA^(key): [jo] (unstressed in context)

jo

1. as you know or should know; sometimes vaguely translatable as after all or obviously
   • 2015, Henriette E. Møller, Jelne, Gyldendal A/S, →ISBN:

     Jeg ved ikke, hvad de talte om, hendes sind blev så mørkt, jeg kunne jo ikke rigtigt snakke med hende.

     I do not know of what they spoke, her mind became so dark, I could not really talk with her, as you should be able to see.

   • 2009, Sven Arvid Birkeland, I krigens kølvand: danske skæbner efter 2. verdenskrig, Gyldendal A/S, →ISBN, page 479:

     Han gik jo ikke i krig i håb om, at det skulle blive den store sejr

     After all, he did not go to war in the hopes of achieving great victory.

   • 2016, Anita Krumbach, Dorte Lilmose, Hanne Kvist, Helle Perrier, Iben Mondrup, Louis Jensen, Ronnie Andersen, Sissel Bergfjord, Svend Åge Madsen, Tomas Lagermand Lundme, Det du ikke ved: Noveller for unge, Gyldendal A/S, →ISBN:

     Jeg mener, at selv ens eget navn eller alder KAN man jo ikke være 100 procent sikker på er Dennis/17, vel?

     I mean, one obviously cannot even be 100% sure that one's own name or age are Dennis and 17, can one?

jo

1. the

   Jo mere jeg løber, desto trættere bliver jeg.

   The more I run, the more tired I become.

jo ... desto ..., jo ... des ... are common constructions.

From Old Norse jaur.

• IPA^(key): [ˈjɔʊ̯ˀ]

jo

1. yes (used to contradict a negative statement or negatively phrased question) (often followed by I do, he is, etc. in English to indicate contradiction rather than affirmation); identical in usage to the French si. Contrasts with ja which confirms positive statements or positively phrased questions.

   Du elsker mig ikke, gør du vel? — Jo!

   You don't love me, do you? — Yes, I do!

   Jeg har ikke gjort noget! — Jo!

   I didn't do anything! — Yes, you did!

Negatively phrased questions like Kommer du ikke?, Du kommer ikke, vel?, Du kommer ikke? ("Are you not coming?", "You are not coming, are you?", "You are not coming?") must be answered with jo to indicate that the speaker is, in fact, coming; they cannot be answered with ja ("yes").

• “jo” in Den Danske Ordbog

From English yo.

jo

1. hi

   Ey! - Jo! - Hey! - Hi!

2. bye

   Later! - Jo! - Later! - Bye!

3. you too

   Fijn weekend! - Jo! - Have a nice weekend! - You too!

• Audio

  (file)

• IPA^(key): [jo]
• Hyphenation: jo

jo (accusative singular jo-on, plural jo-oj, accusative plural jo-ojn)

1. The name of the Latin-script letter J/j.

• (Latin-script letter names) litero; a, bo, co, ĉo, do, e, fo, go, ĝo, ho, ĥo, i, jo, ĵo, ko, lo, mo, no, o, po, ro, so, ŝo, to, u, ŭo, vo, zo

From Proto-Finnic *jo, borrowed from Proto-Germanic *ju, compare Gothic 𐌾𐌿 (ju, “already”), Old High German ju (“already”). Cognates include Estonian ju, Votic jo, Veps jo, Ingrian jo, Karelian jo. (“ju”, in [ETY] Eesti etümoloogiasõnaraamat [Estonian Etymological Dictionary] (in Estonian) (online version), Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus (Estonian Language Foundation), 2012).

• IPA^(key): /ˈjo/, [ˈjo̞]
• Rhymes: -o
• Syllabification^(key): jo

jo

1. already (prior to some time; so soon)

   Luin kirjan jo loppuun.

   I already finished the book.

2. now, already (emphasizing word)

   (impatiently) Tule jo!

   Come now!

• jopa
• joko
• johan

• “jo”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

Inherited from Late Latin eo, from Classical Latin egō̆.

jo

1. I

• joa, jö

Alteration of ja (“yes”) or the respective dialectal cognates. Compare English yo.

• IPA^(key): /jɔː/

jo

1. (colloquial, dialectal) yes, yeah, well; expresses agreement in a hesitant or ponderous manner.

From the respective dialectal words for yes in about half of Northern and Central Germany and all of Western Germany (compare Low German ja, jo). Possibly from Proto-Germanic *ja (“yes, thus, so”), possibly from an unrecorded root. The form with /oː/ must have existed in the Middle Ages already, since the word often partakes in the same sound shifts as words with /oː/ from other sources, cf. Swedish jo, Middle English yo (> English yo).

• IPA^(key): /joː/

jo

1. (colloquial) yes; expresses firm agreement.

• johlen

From Proto-Finnic *jo. Cognates include Finnish jo and Estonian ju.

• (Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /ˈjo/, [ˈjo̞]
• (Soikkola) IPA^(key): /ˈjo/, [ˈjo̞]
• Rhymes: -o
• Hyphenation: jo

jo

1. already
   • 1936, N. A. Iljin and V. I. Junus, Bukvari iƶoroin șkouluja vart, Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 25:

     Kiko ja Miko jo uijuut.

     Kiko and Miko are already swimming.

2. Emphasises the sentence.
   • 1936, N. A. Iljin and V. I. Junus, Bukvari iƶoroin șkouluja vart, Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 64:

     Jo nyt mahan lukkia.

     Now I can read.

• Ruben E. Nirvi (1971) Inkeroismurteiden Sanakirja, Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura, page 105

jo

1. (obsolete) Alternative form of io

jo

1. Rōmaji transcription of じょ
2. Rōmaji transcription of ジョ
3. Rōmaji transcription of ぢょ
4. Rōmaji transcription of ヂョ

From Proto-Finnic *jo. Cognates include Finnish jo and Veps jo.

• IPA^(key): /ˈjo/
• Hyphenation: jo

jo

1. already

jo

1. (North Karelian) yes

• (yes): (North Karelian) kyllä, (South Karelian) da

• A. V. Punzhina (1994) “jo”, in Словарь карельского языка (тверские говоры) [Dictionary of the Karelian language (Tver dialects)], →ISBN
• Pertti Virtaranta, Raija Koponen (2009) “jo”, in Marja Torikka, editor, Karjalan kielen sanakirja‎, Helsinki: Kotus, →ISSN
• P. M. Zaykov et al. (2015) Venäjä-Viena Šanakirja [Russian-Viena Karelian Dictionary], →ISBN

Borrowed from German jo.

• IPA^(key): /ˈjɔ/
• Hyphenation: jo

jo

1. yes

   Jo, mògã to zrobic. ― Yes, I can do it.

   Jo, jô jem tam béł. ― Yes, I have been there.

• “jo”, in Internetowi Słowôrz Kaszëbsczégò Jãzëka [Internet Dictionary of the Kashubian Language], Fundacja Kaszuby, 2022
• Eùgeniusz Gòłąbk (2011) “tak”, in Słownik Polsko-Kaszubski / Słowôrz Pòlskò-Kaszëbsczi‎

• (Kouka) IPA^(key): /ɟō/
• (Tansilla Toma) IPA^(key): /ɟû/

jo

1. water

• zo

• Beatrice Tiendrébéogo, Rapport Sociolinguistique sur la Langue Bobo Madaré (SIL Electronic Survey Reports 2007-005: 55), page 44
• Chiara Alfieri, Bernard Taverne, Ethnophysiologie, règles et précautions chez les Bobo Madare et les Mossi

• IPA^(key): /d͡ʑo/, /d͡ʑɔ/

jo

1. to be
2. to exist

• Hkaw Luk (2017) A grammatical sketch of Lacid‎, Chiang Mai: Payap University (master thesis)

jo

1. because
2. for

jo

1. the... the...

   jo vairāk naudas, jo labāk ― the more money the better

• IPA^(key): [jo]

jo

1. his (3rd person singular masculine possessive)

jo m

1. third-person singular genitive of jis
2. Alternative form of juo

From Middle High German ja, possibly via Yiddish יאָ (yo). Compare Latvian jā.

jo

1. (colloquial) yeah

   Synonym: (standard term) taip

• Formerly considered obsolete, but seems to have been revived, possibly by influence of English yeah.

• “jo”, in Lietuvių kalbos žodynas [Dictionary of the Lithuanian language], lkz.lt, 1941–2024

• juo

Perhaps borrowed from Latvian jo (“because, yet (more)”), /juo/.

• IPA^(key): /jo/

jo

1. more; used with adjectives to form comparatives
   • Tiit-Rein Viitso, Valts Ernštreits (2012–2013), Līvõkīel-ēstikīel-lețkīel sõnārōntõz, Tartu, Rīga: TÜ, LVA

     pitkā, jo pitkā

     long, longer

Perhaps borrowed from Latvian jau (“yet, already, after all”). However, compare also Finnish jo (“already”), thus ultimately a common Finnic borrowing from Proto-Germanic *ju that has likely been contaminated by the more figurative senses of Latvian jau, with the latter ultimately a distant cognate of the initial Germanic borrowing.

• IPA^(key): /jo/

jo

1. yet, already, after all
   • Tiit-Rein Viitso, Valts Ernštreits (2012–2013), Līvõkīel-ēstikīel-lețkīel sõnārōntõz, Tartu, Rīga: TÜ, LVA

     mōnigļikizt, ne jo lǟbõd mōzõ

     bumblebees, they are already migrating to their burrows (lit. "going inside of earth")

     amād jo ītist äb peļļõt

     not everyone makes the same [amount of money] (lit. "everyone after all doesn't earn the same")

• LĒL only lists jo without listing any instances of juo. Livonian-Latvian-Livonian dictionary, in turn, only lists juo for the comparative forming preposition sense.
• LĒL doesn't explicitly list the second sense that seems to exactly mirror Latvian jau (including the more figurative applications.) Such a function, however, is inferred from the many usage examples available in the dictionary. As a translation of Latvian jau (strictly in its temporal sense) LĒL lists jõbā (“already”), cf. Estonian juba.

• IPA^(key): [jɔ]

jo

1. yes (word used to show agreement or acceptance)

jo

1. third-person singular present of byś

jo

1. accusative of wóno

• njo (after preposition)

• Muka, Arnošt (1921, 1928) “jo”, in Słownik dolnoserbskeje rěcy a jeje narěcow (in German), St. Petersburg, Prague: ОРЯС РАН, ČAVU; Reprinted Bautzen: Domowina-Verlag, 2008
• Starosta, Manfred (1999) “jo”, in Dolnoserbsko-nimski słownik / Niedersorbisch-deutsches Wörterbuch (in German), Bautzen: Domowina-Verlag

• IPA^(key): /jo/, [joː]
• Rhymes: -oː
• Homophone: Jo

• audio

  (file)

jo

1. yes

• dach

jo

1. second-person singular imperative of joen

Cognates include Minica Huitoto jo and Nüpode Huitoto jo.

• IPA^(key): [ˈhɔ]
• Hyphenation: jo

jo

1. house

• Katarzyna Izabela Wojtylak (2017) A grammar of Murui (Bue): a Witotoan language of Northwest Amazonia.‎, Townsville: James Cook University press (PhD thesis), page 127

• djo (Helgoland)
• ja (Sylt and Mooring)

Compare West Frisian hja.

jo

1. they

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

• (Kautokeino) IPA^(key): /ˈjo/

jo

1. already
2. now

• Koponen, Eino, Ruppel, Klaas, Aapala, Kirsti, editors (2002–2008), Álgu database: Etymological database of the Saami languages‎, Helsinki: Research Institute for the Languages of Finland

• Audio

  (file)

From Old Norse jaur.

jo

1. yes; in disagreement with the last speaker's negative statement.

   Du har ikke pusset tennene vel? - Jo, det har jeg.

   You haven't brushed your teeth, have you? - Yes, I have.

2. yes or no; expressing doubt. (colloquial)

   Vil du være med? - Jo...

   Do you want to join? - I'm not sure...

Ja can be interpreted as an agreement with the person replied to. Jo is used instead of ja if this agreement could cause ambiguity. In example 1, agreement with the person asking the question would be the opposite of a confirmation that one actually did brush the teeth. As such ja would be ambiguous. The answer jo removes the possibility of agreement with the speaker.

• jojo
• joda

From Old Norse gjóðr.

jo m (definite singular joen, indefinite plural joer, definite plural joene)

1. a skua, seabird of family Stercorariidae.

• storjo

• “jo” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “jo_1” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).
• “jo_2” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

From Old Norse jór, from Proto-Germanic *ehwaz.

jo m (definite singular joen, indefinite plural joar, definite plural joane)

1. a horse (only used in given names)

Male given names:

Female given names:

From Old Norse gjóðr.

• gjod (alternative spelling)

jo m (definite singular joen, indefinite plural joar, definite plural joane)

1. a skua, seabird of family Stercorariidae.

• storjo

From Norwegian Bokmål jo, from Danish jo.

jo

1. Alternative form of jau

Compare Swedish ju.

jo

1. Used to indicate an expectation of common understanding, or that what is said is an obvious fact – “as you well know,” “of course.”

   Synonym: no

   Han kom jo aldri

   But he never came though

   Ikkje rart at du fekk ølskummet over heile golvet. Ein skal jo ikkje slå på ølboksen fyri ein opnar den!

   It’s not weird that you’ve got the beer foam all-over the floor. You shouldn’t punch the beer can before you open it, y’know!

• “jo” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

• IPA^(key): /ʒu/, /ju/

Inherited from Late Latin eo, from Classical Latin egō̆.

jo (Gascony)

1. I

Inherited from Latin iugum.

jo m

1. yoke

jo

1. (Old Northern French) Alternative form of je
   • c. 1170, Wace, Le Roman de Rou:

     Jo di e dirai ke jo sui

     I say and will say that I am

jō

1. Alternative form of jū, accusative/dative of jī

jo

1. yes

• IPA^(key): /jɔ/
• Rhymes: -ɔ
• Syllabification: jo

From Proto-Slavic *(j)azъ.

jo

1. (dialectal) Alternative form of ja (“I”)

Borrowed from German jo.

jo

1. (colloquial or dialectal) yeah, yep

   Synonyms: tak, ano, no, hej

   Antonym: nie

• jo in Polish dictionaries at PWN

From Old Frisian hiā. Cognates include West Frisian hja and North Frisian jo.

• IPA^(key): /joː/
• Hyphenation: jo
• Rhymes: -oː

jo (oblique hier)

1. they

• Marron C. Fort (2015) “jo”, in Saterfriesisches Wörterbuch mit einer phonologischen und grammatischen Übersicht, Buske, →ISBN

• IPA^(key): /ˈjɔ/
• Syllabification: jo

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *(j)azъ, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *ēź-, from Proto-Indo-European *éǵh₂. Cognates include Kashubian jô, Polish ja, Silesian jŏ.

jo

1. I (first-person pronoun)

Borrowed from German ja (“yes; yes!”), from Middle High German ja, from Old High German ja, jā, from Proto-Germanic *ja (“yes”), from Proto-Indo-European *yē (“already”). Compare Kashubian jo (“yes; yes!”), Silesian ja (“yes”), regional Polish ja (“yes”).

jo

1. yes!

• Lorentz, Friedrich (1908) “jǻu̯”, in Slovinzisches Wörterbuch‎ (in German), volume 1, Saint Petersburg: ОРЯС ИАН, page 389
• Lorentz, Friedrich (1908) “jǻu̯!”, in Slovinzisches Wörterbuch‎ (in German), volume 1, Saint Petersburg: ОРЯС ИАН, page 389

• IPA^(key): /ˈxo/ [ˈxo]
• Rhymes: -o
• Syllabification: jo

¡jo!

1. stop, whoa (especially when commanding a horse or imitative thereof)

Euphemistic clipping of joder (“fuck”).

¡jo!

1. (euphemistic) Used to express surprise, amazement, or confusion

   ¡Jo! ― I never heard anything like that before. / Are you serious? / Boy!

• “jo”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014

Possibly from English yo.

• Audio (Kenya)

  (file)

jo

1. (Sheng) added for emphasis to the end of a sentence

   Manze jo! ― Oh man!

From Old Swedish iū, from Old Norse jaur.

• IPA^(key): /juː/

jo

1. yes; used as a disagreement to a negative statement or a negatively phrased question.

   Du har inte borstat tänderna, eller hur? - Jo, det har jag.

   You haven't brushed your teeth, have you? - Yes, I have.

2. yes (more generally, in a similar vein to jodå – see its usage notes)

   – Är det du som är han? – Jo, det är jag.

   – Are you that guy? – Yep, that's me.

3. (with an excited, rising tone) Expresses having an insight; oh

   Jo(ooo)! Nu kom jag på hur man löser pusslet.

   O(ooo)h! I figured out how to solve the puzzle now.

4. A filler, at the start of an utterance.

   Jo, det är så att det är en grej som jag måste berätta för er

   So, there is something that I have to tell you ("So, it is such that there is a thing that I have to tell you," with some common stalling wording)

Ja (“yes”) can be interpreted as an agreement with the person replied to. Jo is used instead of ja if this agreement could cause ambiguity. In the example above agreement with the person asking the question would be the opposite of a confirmation that one actually did brush the teeth. As such ja would be ambiguous. The answer jo removes the possibility of agreement with the speaker. In Swedish dialects spoken in northern Sweden and Finland, it is however not uncommon for the word jo to be used in place of ja in all cases, at least in spoken language.

• jodå
• jojo
• jovars

• jo in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• jo in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• jo in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

• oj

From Proto-Finnic *jo.

jo

1. already

• Zajceva, N. G., Mullonen, M. I. (2007) “уж, уже”, in Uz’ venä-vepsläine vajehnik / Novyj russko-vepsskij slovarʹ [New Russian–Veps Dictionary]‎, Petrozavodsk: Periodika

From Proto-Finnic *jo.

• (Luutsa, Liivtšülä) IPA^(key): /ˈjo/, [ˈʝo]
• Rhymes: -o
• Hyphenation: jo

jo

1. already
2. (with negative) any more

jo

1. An emphatic intensifying particle.

• Hallap, V., Adler, E., Grünberg, S., Leppik, M. (2012) “jo”, in Vadja keele sõnaraamat [A dictionary of the Votic language], 2nd edition, Tallinn

• IPA^(key): /joː/
• (unstressed) IPA^(key): /jə/

From Old Frisian jū, from Proto-West Germanic *iwwiz, from Proto-Germanic *izwiz, dative/accusative of *jūz, from Proto-Indo-European *yū́.

jo

1. you (second person singular nominative formal pronoun)

Though it is a singular pronoun, jo takes the plural conjugation of verbs.

• “jo”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

jo

1. your (second-person singular formal possessive determiner)

• “jo”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011

• IPA^(key): [hʷo]

jo

1. (with following directional suffix -nno) indicates a point of origin

This postposition also infrequently occurs without -nno, in which case it is not clear whether it inflects at all and its meaning is difficult to determine.

• Cáceres, Natalia (2011) Grammaire Fonctionnelle-Typologique du Ye’kwana‎, Lyon, pages 277–278

Proposed to be derived from Proto-Yoruboid *jó, compare with Igala jó

• IPA^(key): /d͡ʒó/

jó

1. (intransitive) to dance

Possibly from Proto-Yoruboid *jó, cognate with Igala jó

• IPA^(key): /d͡ʒó/

jó

1. (ergative) to burn
2. (transitive) to sting; to irritate

• IPA^(key): /d͡ʒò/

jò

1. to drip