See Also:

ore(1) (iou)



ore noun1.
[Old English ora, (for sense) corresp. to Dutch oer, Low German ur, of unkn. origin; in form prob. repr. ar = Old Saxon, Old High German er, Old Norse eir, Gothic aiz, from Germanic, corresp. to Latin aes crude metal, bronze, money.]
A native mineral containing a precious or useful substance, esp. metal, in such quantity and form as to make its extraction profitable. OE.
copper ore, iron ore, lead ore, silver ore, etc. bog ore, feather ore, kidney ore, pitch-ore, potter's ore, tile-ore, etc. fig.: W. Godwin To work upon the ore of their native language.
J. Bronowski The extraction of metals from their ores..was begun rather over seven thousand years ago.
Metal; esp. precious metal. Chiefly poet. M17.
Comb.: orebody a connected mass of ore in a mine or suitable for mining; ore-shoot a usu. elongated mass of ore in a vein.