• Sore

    Pronunciation

    • enPR: sô(r), IPA: /sɔː(ɹ)/
    • Homophones: soar, saw in non-rhotic accents
    • Rhymes: -ɔː(r)

    Origin

    Middle English sor, from Old English sār (noun) 'ache, wound' and sār (adj.) 'painful, grievous', from Proto-Germanic *sairą (noun) (compare Dutch zeer 'sore, ache', Danish sår 'wound'), and *sairaz (adj.) 'sore' (compare German sehr 'very'), from pre-Germanic *sh₂ei-ro-, enlargement of Proto-Indo-European *sh₂ei- 'to be fierce, afflict' (compare Hittite sāwar 'anger', Welsh hoed 'pain', Ancient Greek aimōdía 'toothache').

    Full definition of sore

    Adjective

    sore

    1. Causing pain or discomfort; painfully sensitive.Her feet were sore from walking so far.
    2. Sensitive; tender; easily pained, grieved, or vexed; very susceptible of irritation.
      • TillotsonMalice and hatred are very fretting and vexatious, and apt to make our minds sore and uneasy.
    3. Dire; distressing.The school was in sore need of textbooks, theirs having been ruined in the flood.
    4. (informal) Feeling animosity towards someone; annoyed or angered.Joe was sore at Bob for beating him at checkers.
    5. (obsolete) Criminal; wrong; evil.

    Derived terms

    Terms derived from sore (adj.)

    Adverb

    sore

    1. (archaic) Very, excessively, extremely (of something bad).They were sore afraid.The knight was sore wounded.
    2. Sorely.

    Noun

    sore

    (plural sores)
    1. An injured, infected, inflamed or diseased patch of skin.They put ointment and a bandage on the sore.
    2. Grief; affliction; trouble; difficulty.
      • Sir Walter ScottI see plainly where his sore lies.
    3. A group of ducks on land. (See also: sord).
    4. A young hawk or falcon in its first year.
    5. A young buck in its fourth year.

    Anagrams

    © Wiktionary
    • © 2013 - 2023 All Rights Reserved