or

[ awr; unstressed er ]

/ ɔr; unstressed ər /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR or ON THESAURUS.COM

conjunction

(used to connect words, phrases, or clauses representing alternatives): books or magazines; to be or not to be.

(used to connect alternative terms for the same thing): the Hawaiian, or Sandwich, Islands.

(used in correlation): either … or; or … or; whether … or.

(used to correct or rephrase what was previously said): His autobiography, or rather memoirs, will soon be ready for publication.

otherwise; or else: Be here on time, or we'll leave without you.

Logic. the connective used in disjunction.

Origin of or

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English, originally the second, unstressed member of correlative other … or, earlier other … other, Old English āther … oththe, ā-hwæther … oththe, for oththe … oththe either … or; cf. ay¹, whether

usage note for or

See and/or, either.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH or

oar, o'er, or , ore

Definition for or (2 of 8)

or²

[ awr ]

/ ɔr /

preposition, conjunction Chiefly Irish, Scot., and English.

before; ere.

Origin of or

First recorded before 950; Middle English er, ar, or, Old English ār “before, soon, early”; cognate with Old Norse ār “early, anciently, of yore,” Gothic air “soon, early”; compare Old English ǣr “before, soon”; see ere

Definition for or (3 of 8)

or³

[ awr ]

/ ɔr /

Heraldry.

noun

the tincture, or metal, gold: represented either by gold or by yellow.

adjective

of the tincture, or metal, gold: a lion or.

Origin of or

First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English, from Old French, from Latin aurum “gold”

Definition for or (4 of 8)

OR¹

[ awr ]

/ ɔr /

noun

a Boolean operator that returns a positive result when either or both operands are positive.

Origin of OR

1940–45

Definition for or (5 of 8)

OR²

abbreviation

Law. on (one's own) recognizance.

operating room.

operations research.

Oregon (approved especially for use with zip code).

owner's risk.

Definition for or (6 of 8)

-or¹

a suffix occurring in loanwords from Latin, directly or through Anglo-French, usually denoting a condition or property of things or persons (ardor; honor; horror; liquor; pallor; squalor; torpor; tremor), sometimes corresponding to qualitative adjectives ending in -id4 (horrid; pallid; squalid; torpid). A few other words that originally ended in different suffixes have been assimilated to this group (behavior; demeanor; glamour).

Origin of -or

From Latin; in some cases continuing Middle English -our, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Latin -ōr-, stem of -or, earlier -os

usage note for -or

While the -or spelling of the suffix -or1 is characteristic of American English, there are occasional exceptions, as in advertising copy, where spellings such as colour and favour seek to suggest the allure and exclusiveness of a product. The spelling glamour is somewhat more common than glamor —not actually an instance of -or1, but conformed to it orthographically in the course of the word's history. In British English -our is still the spelling in most widespread use, -or being commonly retained when certain suffixes are added, as in color ation, honor ary, honor ific, labor ious, odor iferous. The English of the Southern Hemisphere (Australia, New Zealand, South Africa) tends to mirror British practice, whereas Canadian English shares with the U.S. a preference for -or but with -our spellings as freely used variants.
The suffix -or2 is now spelled -or in all forms of English, with the exception of the word savior, often spelled saviour in the U.S. as well as in Britain, especially with reference to Jesus.

Definition for or (7 of 8)

-or²

a suffix forming animate or inanimate agent nouns, occurring originally in loanwords from Anglo-French (debtor; lessor; tailor; traitor); it now functions in English as an orthographic variant of -er¹, usually joined to bases of Latin origin, in imitation of borrowed Latin words containing the suffix -tor (and its alternant -sor). The association with Latinate vocabulary may impart a learned look to the resultant formations, which often denote machines or other less tangible entities which behave in an agentlike way: descriptor; plexor; projector; repressor; sensor; tractor.

Origin of -or

Middle English <Anglo-French, Old French -o(u)r<Latin -ōr-, stem of -or, extracted from -tōr-tor by construing the t as the ending of the past participle (hence Latin factor maker, equivalent to fac(ere) to make + -tor, was analyzed as fact(us), past participle of facere + -or); merged with Anglo-French, Old French -ëo(u)r<Latin -ātōr--ator; cf. -eur

Definition for or (8 of 8)

O.R.

owner's risk.

Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for or (1 of 6)

or¹

/ (ɔː, unstressed ə) /

conjunction (coordinating)

used to join alternativesapples or pears; apples or pears or cheese; apples, pears, or cheese

used to join rephrasings of the same thingto serve in the army, or rather to fight in the army; twelve, or a dozen

used to join two alternatives when the first is preceded by either or whetherwhether it rains or not we'll be there; either yes or no

one or two a few

or else See else (def. 3)

a poetic word for either or whether as the first element in correlatives, with or also preceding the second alternative

Word Origin for or

C13: contraction of other, used to introduce an alternative, changed (through influence of either) from Old English oththe; compare Old High German odar (German oder)

British Dictionary definitions for or (2 of 6)

or²

/ (ɔː) archaic /

conjunction

(subordinating; foll by ever or ere) before; when

preposition

before

Word Origin for or

Old English ār soon; related to Old Norse ār early, Old High German ēr

British Dictionary definitions for or (3 of 6)

or³

/ (ɔː) /

adjective

(usually postpositive) heraldry of the metal gold

Word Origin for or

C16: via French from Latin aurum gold

British Dictionary definitions for or (4 of 6)

abbreviation for

operations research

Oregon

military other ranks

British Dictionary definitions for or (5 of 6)

-or¹

suffix forming nouns

a person or thing that does what is expressed by the verbactor; conductor; generator; sailor

Word Origin for -or

via Old French -eur, -eor, from Latin -or or -ātor

British Dictionary definitions for or (6 of 6)

-or²

suffix forming nouns

indicating state, condition, or activityterror; error

the US spelling of -our

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for or

abbr.

operating room

单词	or
释义	or ¹ [ awr; unstressed er ] / ɔr; unstressed ər / SEE SYNONYMS FOR or ON THESAURUS.COM conjunction (used to connect words, phrases, or clauses representing alternatives): books or magazines; to be or not to be. (used to connect alternative terms for the same thing): the Hawaiian, or Sandwich, Islands. (used in correlation): either … or; or … or; whether … or. (used to correct or rephrase what was previously said): His autobiography, or rather memoirs, will soon be ready for publication. otherwise; or else: Be here on time, or we'll leave without you. Logic. the connective used in disjunction. Origin of or ¹ First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English, originally the second, unstressed member of correlative other … or, earlier other … other, Old English āther … oththe, ā-hwæther … oththe, for oththe … oththe either … or; cf. ay¹, whether usage note for or See and/or, either. WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH or oar, o'er, or , ore Definition for or (2 of 8) or² [ awr ] / ɔr / preposition, conjunction Chiefly Irish, Scot., and English. before; ere. Origin of or ² First recorded before 950; Middle English er, ar, or, Old English ār “before, soon, early”; cognate with Old Norse ār “early, anciently, of yore,” Gothic air “soon, early”; compare Old English ǣr “before, soon”; see ere Definition for or (3 of 8) or³ [ awr ] / ɔr / Heraldry. noun the tincture, or metal, gold: represented either by gold or by yellow. adjective of the tincture, or metal, gold: a lion or. Origin of or ³ First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English, from Old French, from Latin aurum “gold” Definition for or (4 of 8) OR¹ [ awr ] / ɔr / noun a Boolean operator that returns a positive result when either or both operands are positive. Origin of OR ¹ 1940–45 Definition for or (5 of 8) OR² abbreviation Law. on (one's own) recognizance. operating room. operations research. Oregon (approved especially for use with zip code). owner's risk. Definition for or (6 of 8) -or¹ a suffix occurring in loanwords from Latin, directly or through Anglo-French, usually denoting a condition or property of things or persons (ardor; honor; horror; liquor; pallor; squalor; torpor; tremor), sometimes corresponding to qualitative adjectives ending in -id4 (horrid; pallid; squalid; torpid). A few other words that originally ended in different suffixes have been assimilated to this group (behavior; demeanor; glamour). Origin of -or ¹ From Latin; in some cases continuing Middle English -our, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Latin -ōr-, stem of -or, earlier -os usage note for -or While the -or spelling of the suffix -or1 is characteristic of American English, there are occasional exceptions, as in advertising copy, where spellings such as colour and favour seek to suggest the allure and exclusiveness of a product. The spelling glamour is somewhat more common than glamor —not actually an instance of -or1, but conformed to it orthographically in the course of the word's history. In British English -our is still the spelling in most widespread use, -or being commonly retained when certain suffixes are added, as in color ation, honor ary, honor ific, labor ious, odor iferous. The English of the Southern Hemisphere (Australia, New Zealand, South Africa) tends to mirror British practice, whereas Canadian English shares with the U.S. a preference for -or but with -our spellings as freely used variants. The suffix -or2 is now spelled -or in all forms of English, with the exception of the word savior, often spelled saviour in the U.S. as well as in Britain, especially with reference to Jesus. Definition for or (7 of 8) -or² a suffix forming animate or inanimate agent nouns, occurring originally in loanwords from Anglo-French (debtor; lessor; tailor; traitor); it now functions in English as an orthographic variant of -er¹, usually joined to bases of Latin origin, in imitation of borrowed Latin words containing the suffix -tor (and its alternant -sor). The association with Latinate vocabulary may impart a learned look to the resultant formations, which often denote machines or other less tangible entities which behave in an agentlike way: descriptor; plexor; projector; repressor; sensor; tractor. Origin of -or ² Middle English <Anglo-French, Old French -o(u)r<Latin -ōr-, stem of -or, extracted from -tōr-tor by construing the t as the ending of the past participle (hence Latin factor maker, equivalent to fac(ere) to make + -tor, was analyzed as fact(us), past participle of facere + -or); merged with Anglo-French, Old French -ëo(u)r<Latin -ātōr--ator; cf. -eur Definition for or (8 of 8) O.R. owner's risk. Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020 British Dictionary definitions for or (1 of 6) or¹ / (ɔː, unstressed ə) / conjunction (coordinating) used to join alternativesapples or pears; apples or pears or cheese; apples, pears, or cheese used to join rephrasings of the same thingto serve in the army, or rather to fight in the army; twelve, or a dozen used to join two alternatives when the first is preceded by either or whetherwhether it rains or not we'll be there; either yes or no one or two a few or else See else (def. 3) a poetic word for either or whether as the first element in correlatives, with or also preceding the second alternative See also exclusive or, inclusive or Word Origin for or C13: contraction of other, used to introduce an alternative, changed (through influence of either) from Old English oththe; compare Old High German odar (German oder) British Dictionary definitions for or (2 of 6) or² / (ɔː) archaic / conjunction (subordinating; foll by ever or ere) before; when preposition before Word Origin for or Old English ār soon; related to Old Norse ār early, Old High German ēr British Dictionary definitions for or (3 of 6) or³ / (ɔː) / adjective (usually postpositive) heraldry of the metal gold Word Origin for or C16: via French from Latin aurum gold British Dictionary definitions for or (4 of 6) OR abbreviation for operations research Oregon military other ranks British Dictionary definitions for or (5 of 6) -or¹ suffix forming nouns a person or thing that does what is expressed by the verbactor; conductor; generator; sailor Word Origin for -or via Old French -eur, -eor, from Latin -or or -ātor British Dictionary definitions for or (6 of 6) -or² suffix forming nouns indicating state, condition, or activityterror; error the US spelling of -our Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Words related to or alternative, uncertainty, substitute, either, in turn, conversely, in other words, on the other hand, or else, preferentially, instead, rather, instead of, on the contrary, oppositely, about, approximately, practically, roughly, else Medical definitions for or OR abbr. operating room The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
随便看	knock-down-drag-out knock down with a feather knocked-down knocker knock for a loop knock-for-knock knocking copy knocking-shop knock into a cocked hat knock it off knock-knee knockoff knock-on knock-on effect knock oneself out knock on wood knockout knockout drops knockout mouse knock over knock over with a feather knock rummy knock someone's block off knock someone's socks off knock the bottom out of

or

conjunction

Origin of or

usage note for or

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH or

Definition for or (2 of 8)

preposition, conjunction Chiefly Irish, Scot., and English.

Origin of or

Definition for or (3 of 8)

noun

adjective

Origin of or

Definition for or (4 of 8)

noun

Origin of OR

Definition for or (5 of 8)

abbreviation

Definition for or (6 of 8)

Origin of -or

usage note for -or

Definition for or (7 of 8)

Origin of -or

Definition for or (8 of 8)

British Dictionary definitions for or (1 of 6)

conjunction (coordinating)

Word Origin for or

British Dictionary definitions for or (2 of 6)

conjunction

preposition

Word Origin for or

British Dictionary definitions for or (3 of 6)

adjective

Word Origin for or

British Dictionary definitions for or (4 of 6)

abbreviation for

British Dictionary definitions for or (5 of 6)

suffix forming nouns

Word Origin for -or

British Dictionary definitions for or (6 of 6)

suffix forming nouns

Words related to or

Medical definitions for or

abbr.