‖ousie, noun

/ˈəʊsi/
Forms:
ausei, ausiShow more Also ausei, ausi, ausie, ausisi, ous, and with initial capital.
Origin:
Sotho, AfrikaansShow more Sotho ausi adaptation of Afrikaans ousus, ousie elder sister.
Among Sotho-speakers: ‘sister’. Cf. ou sis, sisi sense 1.
1. A form of address to a girl or woman, irrespective of age.
1960 J. Cope Tame Ox 67Be strong now, ausei, more than other women.
1963 A.M. Louw 20 Days 7‘What’s all this, ousie?’ he asked.
a1968 D.C. Themba in E. Patel World of Can Themba (1985) 158I knocked and called: ‘Ousie! Ousie!’ A bolt screeched back, and a broad face peered at me.
1969 Post 7 Dec. 2One night a person knocked on her door...A voice said, ‘Ousie, ousie open the door I want to give you something.’
1974 Drum 8 Aug. 50Ausie, what are you doing with all those globes? Are you trying to blind us, hey?
1976 Bezuidenhout & Simon in Quarry ’76 46She watched me pass. I stopped and reversed for her. ‘Dag ousie,’ I said.
1988 M. Tlali in Staffrider Vol.7 No.3, 353Yes, Ausisi, after you have sold them you are happy. You have something in your pocket.
2. A title, usually with a name.
1970 M. Dikobe Marabi Dance. 12When the children saw Martha they spoke in low but audible voices. ‘It’s ausie Msipone!’
1972 L. Van der Post Story like Wind 41Their cook, a redoubtable old Xhosa lady whom he always had to address most punctiliously as Ousie (old Mother) — Johanna.
1976 M. Melamu in New Classic No.3, 4Ous Tricy is in the nursing profession.
1978 M.W. Serote Behold Mama, Flowers 79Your memory keeps throbbing behind your eyes otherwise why would you sing with ausi Miriam about the empty days and the nights which shattered your sleep.
1981 M. Serote in Staffrider Vol.3 No.4, 34Ausi-Pule would sit there on the chair, her boy on her lap suckling.
1988 D. Samuelson in Fair Lady 16 Mar. 135The child studied Ousie. Together with Oema, Ousie created the order of the house. Ousie did not speak much, but she did sing a lot — mainly church songs. The child could tell what day of the week it was by what Ousie was doing.
3. A common noun: a (Black) woman.
1971 Informant, Coalbrook, Free StateThat old ousie really makes me laugh sometimes.
1975 K.M.C. Motsisi in Drum 22 Sept. 44Sis Tsidza..is a very well-proportioned and prettiful ousie and has her house in the same street.
1979 Sunday Times 19 Aug. (Mag. Sect.) 6One sardonic observer of the social scene [in the Free State] noted that what they did have were ‘ousies’ and ‘garden boys’ as opposed to people.
[1986 City Woman Nov. 11Ramagaga — who three years ago joined the legal profession as Temba township’s first woman prosecutor —..recalls some of her ‘nasty experiences’ as a woman court official. In typical ghetto language, an alleged rapist told a male prosecutor to tell ‘die ousie’ (Ramagaga) he was innocent.]
1987 Z. Mda in New Nation 11 June 17Budda Joe..Played the piano at the Chicken Shack Where the outies and ousies Drank Danced And made love.
‘sister’.
A form of address to a girl or woman, irrespective of age.
A title, usually with a name.
a (Black) woman.
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Sesotho and Sesotho sa Leboa
Afrikaans
oupagrootjie, nounn.ou sis, noun phrasen. phr.
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