mos, adverb

/mɔs/
Origin:
Afrikaans, West Flemish, DutchShow more Afrikaans, from West Flemish mos (a form of Dutch immers) but, yet, indeed.
colloquial
Note:
Used for emphasis.
1. As an interpolation: ‘after all’; ‘of course’; ‘you know’.
1900 H. Blore Imp. Light Horseman 288I know, mos, what girls are.
1979 M. Matshoba Call Me Not a Man 195Give him the five cents, mfowethu. That’s what they want, mos.
1982 M. Mzamane Children of Soweto 20Whites are correct, mos, when they say ‘Tomorrow never comes’!
1986 S. Sepamla Third Generation 90It’s all starvation out here, you know what I mean, mos?
1993 [see fanakalo].
2. With adjectives and adverbs: ‘really’; ‘actually’; ‘after all’; ‘indeed’.
1963 M. Kavanagh We Merry Peasants 14He shook his head, rubbed his chin, looked miserable: ‘Ag, there’s mos plenty of guinea fowl here in the Cape, lady.’
1969 A. Fugard Boesman & Lena 21He’s mos better than nothing. Or was nothing better?
1973 M. Philip Caravan Caravel 40Firstly, a person can’t live on ice cream and with these teeth in my mouth I can mos only eat soft stuff like ice cream.
1978 C. Van Wyk in Staffrider Vol.1 No.2, 36He don’t feel blind about it...How can he? He’s mos mad.
1982 D. Mqhaba in Chapman & Dangor Voices from Within 174He must eat like a pig stuck in the mud,..He’s mos never taught any table decency!
1984 Frontline May 39‘After all,’ I say, ‘it is mos in your language. You ought to be grateful.’
1990 [see touleier].
3.
a. Before verbs: ‘really’; ‘actually’; ‘truly’; ‘after all’.
1968 A. Fulton Dark Side of Mercy 13‘Drink that,’ he said, thrusting the glass into Michael’s hand. ‘You mos need it, man.’
1974 B. Simon Joburg, Sis!Hell, 3 o’clock! No! That wasn’t a hint man, don’t go yet. This is when a man mos comes alive.
1977 A. Roscoe Uhuru’s Fire 227A man must mos fight for his brother, don’t I say?
1985 J. Cloete in S.-Easter Oct.–Nov. 17And now I do that for my students. That paradox, I believe in it. And I believe in myself as a teacher. Man, that’s mos being realistic!
1987 Scope 20 Nov. 44‘You really went and did it?’ ‘Ja. I mos told you. Do you still want to party?’
1988 A. Dangor in Bunn & Taylor From S. Afr. 183It was because you joined the trade union. You want to mos show you also know something about politics.
b. After verbs: ‘only’; ‘just’; ‘after all’.
1968 F.G. Butler Cape Charade 12My mother was mos a child in George Rex’s trek from Cape Town, 1804.
1981 V.A. February Mind your Colour 158Africa then proceeds to identify words and slang expressions which are frequently used in the novel. They are as follows:..bedonerd (crazy); bliksem (miscreant); mos (just).
1986 D. Case Love, David 112I was saving to buy..some clothes for my sisters. They are mos girls — they must look nice sometimes.
1987 Learn & Teach No.5, 17They say Hillbrow is mos a klein America. Darkies and Lanies live together.
1988 E. Prov. Herald 27 Feb. 6‘I intend advising him to ban floods.’ ‘Floods?’ ‘Totally. Floods endanger mos the safety of the public.’
‘after all’; ‘of course’; ‘you know’.
‘really’; ‘actually’; ‘after all’; ‘indeed’.
‘really’; ‘actually’; ‘truly’; ‘after all’.
After verbs: ‘only’; ‘just’; ‘after all’.
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19001988
mos, nounn.mosadi, nounn.
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