pore
pronunciation
How to pronounce pore in British English:
UK [pɔː(r)]
How to pronounce pore in American English:
US [pɔːr]
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- Noun:
- any tiny hole admitting passage of a liquid (fluid or gas)
- any small opening in the skin or outer surface of an animal
- a minute epidermal pore in a leaf or stem through which gases and water vapor can pass
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- Verb:
- direct one's attention on something
Word Origin
- pore
- pore: English has two words pore. The older, ‘look attentively’ [13], may go back to a hypothetical Old English *pūrian, which might make it a relative of the nearly synonymous peer [16]. The pore in the skin [14] comes via Old French pore and Latin porus from Greek póros ‘passage’, a descendant of the Indo-European base *por- ‘going, passage’, which also produced English fare, ferry, opportunity, and port. The development of the word’s anatomical sense began in Greek. Porous [14] is derived from it.=> peer; fare, ferry, opportunity, porous, port
- pore (v.)
- "gaze intently," early 13c., of unknown origin, with no obvious corresponding word in Old French. Perhaps from Old English *purian, suggested by spyrian "to investigate, examine," and spor "a trace, vestige." Related: Pored; poring.
- pore (n.)
- "minute opening," late 14c., from Old French pore (14c.) and directly from Latin porus "a pore," from Greek poros "a pore," literally "passage, way," from PIE *por- "going, passage," from root *per- "to lead, pass over" (see port (n.1)).
Example
- 1. The opened pore allows electrical current to flow , and the neuron fires an electrical impulse .
- 2. Apply a pore minimiser to the t-zone of the face - this is the forehead , nose and chin .
- 3. The stars knew , of course , that the technology would reveal them in such fine detail that every blemish , line , pore and pock-mark would become clearly visible .
- 4. Goof ( continuity error ) : at the beginning of the episode , sean and noel are doing a practice interview and sean has " pore sucker " strips on his face .
- 5. Most central bankers pore over economic indicators to gauge where the country is heading .