English - Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɔː(ɹ)/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ɔɹ/, /oʊɹ/
• • Rhymes: -ɔː(r)
• (St. Louis (Missouri)) IPA^(key): /ɑɹ/
• Homophones: oar, ore, o'er, aw (in non-rhotic accents), awe (in non-rhotic accents)

English - Etymology 1

Old English oþþe, from Proto-Germanic *efþan (“or”).

Conjunction

or

1. Connects at least two alternative words, phrases, clauses, sentences, etc. each of which could make a passage true. In English, this is the "inclusive or." The "exclusive or" is formed by "either […] or".
   • 1992, Rudolf M. Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, page 5

     The sporophyte foot is also characteristic: it is very broad and more or less lenticular or disciform, as broad or broader than the calyptra stalk […] , and is sessile on the calyptra base […]

2. Logical union of two sets of values. There are two forms, an exclusive or and an inclusive or.
3. Counts the elements before and after as two possibilities.
4. Otherwise; a consequence of the condition that the previous is false

   It's raining! Come inside or you'll catch a cold!

5. Connects two equivalent names.

   the country Myanmar or Burma

Synonyms

• and/or

Translations

See also

• neither
• nor

English - Etymology 2

From Old French or (“yellow”), from Latin aurum (“gold”)

Noun

Wikipedia

or (uncountable)

1. (heraldry) The gold or yellow tincture on a coat of arms.

   1909, The metals are gold and silver, these being termed "or" and "argent". — Arthur Charles Fox-Davies, A Complete Guide to Heraldry

   1889, In engraving, "Or" is expressed by dots. — Charles Norton Elvin, A Dictionary of Heraldry

Synonyms

• (gold or yellow tincture): o., Or

Related terms

• Au (chemical symbol for gold)

Translations

Adjective

or (not comparable)

1. (heraldry) Of gold or yellow tincture on a coat of arms.

Synonyms

• gold

Translations

English - Etymology 3

Late Old English ār, from Scandinavian (compare Old Norse ár). Compare ere.

Adverb

or

1. (obsolete) Early (on).
2. (obsolete) Earlier, previously.

Preposition

or

1. (now archaic or dialect) Before; ere.
   • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte d'Arthur, Book VII:

     "Sey ye never so," seyde Sir Bors, "for many tymys or this she hath bene wroth with you, and aftir that she was the firste that repented hit."

English - Anagrams

• RO

Basque - Alternative Forms

• hor (dialectal)
• ora (dialectal)

Basque - Etymology

1103; variant of hor, from Proto-Basque *hor. Mostly replaced by zakur.

Basque - Noun

or

1. dog

Synonyms

• txakur, zakur

Catalan - Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɔɾ/

Catalan - Etymology

From Latin aurum.

Catalan - Noun

or m (plural ors)

1. gold

French - Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɔʁ/

French - Etymology 1

From Latin aurum, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂é-h₂us-o- (“glow”).

Noun

or m (plural ors)

1. gold
2. (heraldry) or (yellow in heraldry)

Related terms

• orfèvre

See also

• Appendix:Colors

French - Etymology 2

From Vulgar Latin hā horā, alteration of hac hora.

Adverb

or

1. (obsolete) now, presently

Conjunction

or

1. yet, however

French - External Links

• “or” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Ido - Etymology

From French or, Italian ora, or.

Ido - Conjunction

or

1. yet; however

Italian - Adverb

or

1. apocopic form of ora

Derived terms

• ormai
• or ora

Middle French - Alternative Forms

• aur

Middle French - Noun

or m (uncountable)

1. gold (metal)
2. gold (color)

Descendants

• French: or

Norwegian Bokmål - Etymology

From Old Norse ǫlr, órir

Norwegian Bokmål - Noun

or f, m (definite singular ora or oren, indefinite plural orer, definite plural orene)

1. an alder (tree of genus Alnus)

Synonyms

• older

Norwegian Bokmål - References

• “or” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk - Etymology 1

From Old Norse ǫlr, órir

Noun

or f (definite singular ora, indefinite plural orer, definite plural orene)

or m (definite singular oren, indefinite plural orar, definite plural orane)

1. an alder (tree of genus Alnus)

Norwegian Nynorsk - Etymology 2

From Old Norse ór

Preposition

or

1. out of

Norwegian Nynorsk - References

• “or” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old English - Etymology

Proto-Germanic *uz.

Old English - Noun

ōr n

1. origin

Old French - Etymology

Latin aurum.

Old French - Noun

or m (oblique plural ors, nominative singular ors, nominative plural or)

1. gold (metal)
   • circa 1250, Marie de France, Guigemar

     En bacins d'or ewe aporterent

     They brought water in basins made of gold

2. gold (color)
3. (by extension) blond(e) color

Romanian - Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [or]

Romanian - Verb

(ele/eni) or (modal auxiliary; third-person plural form of vrea, used with infinitives to form presumptive tenses)

1. (they) might

   fiindcă or avea ceva pe care noi nu-l avem, va trebui să așteptăm puțin

   being that they might have something that we don't, we will need to wait a bit

Romansch - Alternative Forms

• (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan) aur
• (Surmiran) ôr

Romansch - Etymology

From Latin aurum.

Romansch - Noun

or m

1. (Sutsilvan, Puter, Vallader) gold

Scots - Etymology

A variant of ere, obsolete in modern English.

Scots - Conjunction

or

1. before or until (only in certain senses)

   It'll nae be lang or A gang ma holiday.- It'll not be long until/ before I go on holiday

Usage notes

Not archaic, but rare amongst young people.

Scottish Gaelic - Etymology

Possibly from Old Irish amar (“song, singing”). See òran.

Scottish Gaelic - Noun

or m (genitive ora, plural ora, orthachan, or orrachan)

1. hymn, incantation, petition, prayer

Synonyms

• ob

Swedish - Noun

or n

1. a mite

Declension

Synonyms

• kvalster

Tocharian A - Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *dóru, with unexplained loss of initial */d/. Compare Tocharian B or.

Tocharian A - Noun

or n

1. wood

Tocharian B - Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *dóru, with unexplained loss of initial */d/. Compare Tocharian A or.

Tocharian B - Noun

or n

1. wood

Related terms

• ārwa (from plural)

Rhyme