オール
おーる
noun
oar; all (loanword)
1.
oar (for rowing a boat)
A long pole with a flat blade at one end, used to row a boat by pulling against the water. From English 'oar'.
オールで舟を漕いだ。
I rowed the boat with the oars.
オールが折れてしまった。
The oar broke.
湖でボートを借りて、オールを使って向こう岸まで渡った。
We rented a boat at the lake and used the oars to cross to the opposite shore.
2.
all; entirely (used as prefix or in compounds)
From English 'all'. Used as a prefix in compounds like オールラウンド (all-around), and casually to mean 'staying out / staying up all night' as in {オール}する.
オールラウンドな選手だ。
He's an all-around player.
昨日はオールしてしまった。
I ended up staying up all night yesterday.
友達と朝までカラオケでオールしたのは学生時代以来だ。
Doing karaoke all night with friends — I haven't done that since my student days.
Loanword that covers two unrelated English sources: 'oar' and 'all'. Context makes the meaning clear.
SENSE 1 (oar):
- オールを漕ぐ: to row with oars
- オールが折れる: the oar breaks
SENSE 2 (all):
- オールラウンド: all-around
- オールスター: all-star
- オールマイティ: almighty; versatile
- オールする: to stay out / stay up all night (casual, especially among students)
DISAMBIGUATION:
Other English homophones — 'all', 'ore', 'goal' — are usually rendered with different katakana or pronunciation to avoid confusion. The 'oar' sense is the main concrete noun usage.