Etymology: Cognate with Old Frisian ēre honour, reverence, Middle Dutch ere , eere honour, respect (Dutch eer ), Old Saxon ēra honour, protection, gift, reward (Middle Low German ēre ; > Icelandic æra , Swedish ära , Danish ære ), Old High German ēra honour, reputation, glory, office, rank, majesty, reverence, dignity (Middle High German ēre , German Ehre ), Old Icelandic eir peace, clemency (only recorded in poetry); an extended form of the same Germanic base is shown by Gothic aistan to fear, respect; further etymology uncertain: perhaps < the same Indo-European base as ancient Greek αἰδώς respect, reverence (see aidos n.), αἴδεσθαι to stand in awe of, fear. Compare are v.In forms nare , nore showing metanalysis in the phrase thine ore (see sense 2a). In Old English a rare weak noun āre (chiefly poetic) existed alongside strong ār.

Etymology: Apparently a merging of two distinct words: Old English ōra unwrought metal, ore, and Old English ār brass, bronze, copper. (i) (Represented by the α. forms) Old English ōra unwrought metal, ore, of uncertain origin; perhaps related to German regional (Low German) Ur , Uurt , Uhr , Urt compact, rust-coloured, reddish yellow or reddish brown soil, containing iron ( > Dutch oer ), or to early modern Dutch oor , oore mine, gold mine, silver mine, lead ore, common vein of lead and silver (1599 in Kiliaan), and perhaps further to (the etymologically obscure) Old English ēar name of the runic letter for ea , (perhaps) earth, clay, Old Icelandic aurr wet clay, loam, mud, Gothic aurahjons (plural) monuments, tombs, although the exact nature of any relationship is unclear. (ii) (Represented by the β. forms) Old English ār brass, bronze, copper, is cognate with Middle Dutch eer, ere copper, metal, Old Saxon ēr brass (Middle Low German ēr, ēre metal, copper, brass), Old High German ēr brass (Middle High German ēr brass, iron), Old Icelandic eir brass, copper, Old Swedish ér copper, bronze, early modern Danish eer copper, ore, Gothic aiz money, metal coin < the same Indo-European base as Sanskrit ayas (base) metal, classical Latin aer-, aes brass. Branches I. and II. thus represent in the Old English period two entirely different words, distinct in both form and meaning. In the Middle English period, the formal reflex of Old English ār apparently became confused semantically with the reflex of Old English ōra (for the reverse process perhaps compare sense 3), hence giving two etymologically and formally distinct words (having in the south open and close ō respectively) with the same meaning, although conclusive evidence for this is lacking before the 16th cent. Forms showing the reflex of Middle English close ō (and hence ultimately Old English ōra ) in turn become obsolete in the early 17th cent.; in later modern English this could have shown lowering (compare moor n.¹, whore n.), but this could not explain a merger complete by the early 17th cent. (For survival of α forms in specialized senses in Scots see Sc. National Dict. s.vv. eer n.¹, iron-eer n., ure n.³) Graphic representations of Middle English open and close ō overlap considerably (see O n.¹), and a number of the Middle English examples cannot be assigned with confidence to α or β. Presence or absence of final -e is not a safe guide even in early Middle English, as shown by quots. ?c1225¹ at sense 3α. , ?c1225² at sense 3α. , which show the form or in a manuscript which does not show rounding of the reflex of Old English ā . Middle English examples with ore are here placed under β largely on account of the later history of this form. It is perhaps possible that β. forms could alternatively be explained as showing not the reflex of Old English ār but instead a purely phonetic development, with lowering before r in the early modern period, although if so the evidence indicating this would be rather earlier than for other comparable words (see E. J. Dobson Eng. Pronunc. 1500–1700 (ed. 2, 1968) II. §207). With Old English ōra compare Old English ōre mine (one isolated attestation):OE Harley Gloss. (1966) 181 Ferrifodina, in quo loco ferrum foditur, isern ore.

Etymology: Probably cognate with Old Icelandic óss mouth of a river < the same Indo-European base as classical Latin ōs mouth (see oral adj.). Compare ore n.⁴Occurring chiefly in poetic texts.

Etymology: Either a weak noun < the same Germanic base as ore n.³, or a borrowing < (the probably ultimately cognate) classical Latin ōra (see ora n.², and compare ore n.⁸).Frequently in place names, especially in southern England, as (æt) Oran (a1170 in a copy of a charter of 968; now Oare, Buckinghamshire), Windlesora (11th cent.; now Windsor, Buckinghamshire), Perscora (late 10th cent.; now Pershore, Worcestershire), etc. A spec. sense ‘flat-topped ridge with a convex shoulder’ has been suggested in place names (see M. Gelling and A. Cole The Landscape of Place-names (2000) 203).

Etymology: Southern variant of ware n.¹, frequently showing assimilatory loss of initial w- (and in forms in -oo- probably raising after w- : compare ooze n.²). Compare oarweed n., orewood n., and perhaps also wore n.

Etymology: < post-classical Latin ora ora n.¹ Compare ore n.⁹

Etymology: Origin uncertain. Perhaps < ore n.², the wool being considered as representing the wealth of the district.Blount appears to explain it from ore n.⁸:1661 T. Blount Glossographia (ed. 2) Ore, the end or extreme part of any thing; a Region, Land or Country: Thus Lempsters Ore is that fertile part of Herefordshire, which lyes about two miles round that Town.

Etymology: < classical Latin ōra border, margin, coast, shore (see ora n.²).

Etymology: Partly < Swedish öre, partly < Danish øre, and partly < Norwegian øre: see ora n.¹