or

¹

[ awr; unstressed er ]

conjunction

1. (used to connect words, phrases, or clauses representing alternatives):

   books or magazines; to be or not to be.

2. (used to connect alternative terms for the same thing):

   the Hawaiian, or Sandwich, Islands.

3. (used in correlation):

   either … or; or … or; whether … or.

4. (used to correct or rephrase what was previously said):

   His autobiography, or rather memoirs, will soon be ready for publication.

5. otherwise; or else:

   Be here on time, or we'll leave without you.

6. Logic. the connective used in disjunction.

OR

²

[ awr ]

noun

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

-or

³

1. 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 ).

or

⁴

[ awr ]

preposition

, Chiefly Irish, Scot., and English.

1. before; ere.

OR

⁵

abbreviation for

1. Law. on (one's own) recognizance.
2. operating room.
3. operations research.
4. Oregon (approved especially for use with zip code).
5. owner's risk.

-or

⁶

1. 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 -er ¹, 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 .

or

⁷

[ awr ]

noun

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

adjective

1. of the tincture, or metal, gold:

   a lion or.

O.R.

⁸

abbreviation for

1. owner's risk.

or

¹

/ ɔː /

adjective

1. usually postpositive heraldry of the metal gold

or

²

/ ɔː /

conjunction

1. subordinating; foll by ever or ere before; when

preposition

1. before

or

³

/ ə; ɔː /

conjunction

1. used to join alternatives

   apples or pears or cheese

   apples, pears, or cheese

   apples or pears

2. used to join rephrasings of the same thing

   to serve in the army, or rather to fight in the army

   twelve, or a dozen

3. used to join two alternatives when the first is preceded by either or whether

   either yes or no

   whether it rains or not we'll be there

4. one or two
   a few
5. or else
   See else
6. a poetic word for either or whether as the first element in correlatives, with or also preceding the second alternative

OR

⁴

abbreviation for

1. operations research
2. Oregon
3. military other ranks

-or

⁵

suffix forming nouns

1. indicating state, condition, or activity

   terror

   error

2. the US spelling of -our

-or

⁶

suffix forming nouns

1. a person or thing that does what is expressed by the verb

   conductor

   actor

   generator

   sailor

Usage Note

See and/or, either.

Spelling Note

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of or¹

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; ay ¹, whether

Origin of or²

1940–45

Origin of or³

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

Origin of or⁴

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”; ere

Origin of or⁵

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; -eur

Origin of or⁶

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of or¹

C16: via French from Latin aurum gold

Origin of or²

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

Origin of or³

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 )

Origin of or⁴

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

Example Sentences

On social media, the museum shared a video compilation of coverage, pondering the question: “ART OR TRASH?”

From Los Angeles Times

However it's backfired: Meta now finds itself under investigation because the EU Commission says that the binary decision of either handing over money OR data may not be good enough.

From BBC

These factors make clear the stakes in the Supreme Court's decision earlier this month to take on this session what Rabinowitz calls "the most significant case on homelessness since the 1980s": Grants Pass, OR v.

From Salon

Between Monday and Wednesday, when the bar is closed, a small publishing company named OR Books rents out the back room as an office to focus on works of literature and political activism.

From New York Times

The ER and OR are outstanding, as well as all the support staff involved in those departments.

From Seattle Times