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O. Fourteenth letter of the Latin alphabet.

O. a globule or circle, is generally accepted as denoting the uncia, as the sign of weight and the value - viz o, uncia; thence oooo, triens; ooo, quadrans; oo, sextans.

O. and AV. were used promiscenously by the more ancient Romans. - Thus in the Claudia family CLODIVS and CLAVDIVS; in like manner in the Plautia family PLOTIVS and PLAVTIVS appear on consular denarii.  By the same custom the foster-father of Quirinus (Romulus), whose name among Latin writers spelt Faustulus, is inscribed FOSTVLVS on the denarius of the Pompeia family.

O. was often substituted by the ancient Latins for V. - Of this we have examples in the words AEGYPTOS instead of AEGYPTVS; DIVOS for DIVVS; VOLCANO for VVLCANO, etc.

O. is adjoined sometimes to V., forming the dipthong OV., in place of the simgle letter V. Thus on family denarii FOVLVIVS, is written in the room of Fulvius,  FOVRI, or FOVRIVS, for Furius.

O. This letter by itself signifies Ob. on account of; or officina, office of the mint; or Ogulnius, the name of a man; or optimo, an epithet often given to Jupiter.