Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “oor” come from?

oor (Middle English) comes from Old English ōra, from Old English ēar, from Proto-Germanic ahaz, from Proto-Finnic ahtas, from Proto-Baltic anśtas, from Proto-Indo-European h₂énǵʰus, from Proto-Indo-European h₂enǵʰ- — to constrict, tighten, compress; narrow, tight;...

Ancestry of “oor”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishōraore, unwrought metal
2Old Englishēarsea, ocean; grave, earth
3Proto-Germanicahazear
4Proto-Finnicahtasnarrow, cramped
5Proto-Balticanśtas—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂énǵʰusnarrow, tight
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂enǵʰ-to constrict, tighten, compress; narrow, tight;...

Words derived from “oor”

  • ore
  • orebody
  • oreforming
  • ewre
  • orefield
  • oreless
  • oreshoot
  • orehouse
  • ores
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂enǵʰ- →