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ore

Etymology and origin of the English word ore

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
c. 725
Inherited from
Old English ōra
Ultimate origin
Proto-Germanic (*aiz)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /oɹ/, /o(ː)ɹ/; /ɔː/ (UK)[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English or, oor, a merger of two Old English words:[2][3][4] inherited from Old English ōra (“ore, unworked metal”), related to Low German ūr, iron ore, Dutch oer and Old Norse aurr, gravel,[2][3][5] and ār, brass, copper, bronze,[2][3] from Proto-Germanic *aiz-, cognate with Old Norse eir, Gothic aiz and Latin aes (“bronze, copper”).[3][5][6] Etymonline traces ār to PIE *aus-, gold.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Brass, in the form ār: about 725;[7] a mineral containing metal worth mining, before 1000.[7] Or, ore is probably before 1200, in the Ancrene Riwle.[3]

Semantic evolution

The two Old English words were not fully assimilated until the 17th century: the result has the regular modern form of ār but the meaning of ōra.[2][5] In 1225 ore meant metal in general.[7] A kind or quality of ore is from about 900.[7]

Timeline

  • c. 725 – ār, brass.[7]
  • before 1000 – ōra, ore.[7]
  • before 1200 – or, ore.[3]
  • 17th century – the words fully merged.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A mineral or rock from which a metal or other valuable substance can be profitably extracted.

Word family

  • orebody
  • oreshoot
  • ore dressing
  • ore hearth
  • peacock ore
  • green lead ore

Usage notes

A different word, öre or øre, is a Scandinavian coin worth one hundredth of a krona or krone (1884), from Latin aureus, a gold coin.[4][8][6] The OED also records an obsolete Old English ore, honour, grace, mercy.[7]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin

Related etymologies

  • born · also from Old English
  • pick · also from Old English
  • hair · also from Old English
  • lose · also from Old English
  • daughter · also from Old English
  • daily · also from Old English
  • forget · also from Old English
  • offer · also from Old English
Cite this entry

“Ore.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/ore. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·