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Added 8 October 2026

ore

/oɹ/ noun

Latin root: aes Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about ore at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A mineral that contains metal that is valuable enough to be mined.
A monetary subunit in Denmark and Norway and Sweden; 100 ore equal 1 krona.

Origin

From Middle English or, oor, blend of Old English ōra (“ore, unwrought metal”), of uncertain origin, and ār (“brass, copper, bronze”), from Proto-West Germanic *aiʀ, from Proto-Germanic *aiz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éyos. Compare Old Norse eir (“brass, copper”), German ehern (“of metal, of iron”), Gothic 𐌰𐌹𐌶 (aiz, “ore”); also Dutch oer (“ferrous hardpan; bog iron ore”). Compare Latin aes (“bronze, copper”), Avestan 𐬀𐬌𐬌𐬀𐬵 (aiiah), Sanskrit अयस् (áyas, “copper, iron”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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