Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

add oil

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.79 in modern English

Syllables: ad-d oil
IPA

8

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

Synonym of let's go: a cheer of encouragement, support, etc.

Etymology

Calque of Chinese 加油 (jiāyóu), particularly in Hong Kong contexts via its Cantonese pronunciation gaa1 jau4-2, sometimes credited to shouts of support during the Macau Grand Prix. Compare cooking with gas, gas up, fuel up, etc.

Word Breakdown

Root: -

Inflected Forms

adds oil (present, singular) adding oil (participle, present) added oil (participle, past) added oil (past)

Synonyms

let's go

Questions

What does add oil mean?: Synonym of let's go: a cheer of encouragement, support, etc.
Where does add oil come from?: Calque of Chinese 加油 (jiāyóu), particularly in Hong Kong contexts via its Cantonese pronunciation gaa1 jau4-2, sometimes credited to shouts of support during the Macau Grand Prix. Compare cooking with gas, gas up, fuel up, etc.

How to pronounce add oil

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