Oom

Oom is a term with multiple uses in different languages and contexts. In Dutch and Afrikaans, oom means "uncle" and is commonly used as a familial term and as a respectful form of address for an older man. In everyday speech in the Netherlands and South Africa, speakers may refer to an older gentleman as "Oom" followed by a name, or simply "Oom" as a sign of respect within a community. The term also appears in some regional dialects as a general term for an elder or respected male figure.

In computing and information technology, OOM is an acronym for "out of memory." An OOM condition occurs when a program or system cannot allocate the memory it requires. Many operating systems include an out-of-memory mechanism, such as the Linux OOM killer, which terminates processes to free memory and prevent a system crash. The literature on programming frequently discusses OOM errors and strategies to avoid them, including memory optimization, limits, and garbage collection.

Other uses are specific to contexts, and the term may appear as an acronym in technology or as a proper name in particular works. In general, the primary senses are linguistic (uncle) and technical (out of memory).