lore
1 Americannoun
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the body of knowledge, especially of a traditional, anecdotal, or popular nature, on a particular subject.
the lore of herbs.
- Synonyms:
- wisdom
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learning, knowledge, or erudition.
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Archaic.
-
the process or act of teaching; instruction.
-
something that is taught; lesson.
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noun
noun
-
collective knowledge or wisdom on a particular subject, esp of a traditional nature
-
knowledge or learning
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archaic teaching, or something that is taught
noun
-
the surface of the head of a bird between the eyes and the base of the bill
-
the corresponding area in a snake or fish
Related Words
See learning.
Other Word Forms
- loreless adjective
Etymology
Origin of lore1
First recorded before 950; Middle English; Old English lār; cognate with Dutch leer, German Lehre “teaching”; learn
Origin of lore2
First recorded in 1615–25; from New Latin lōrum, special use of Latin lōrum “thong, strap”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The lore of La Mer goes back to its founding scientist, Max Huber.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026
Growing up in a household steeped in the lore of the TPLF, she was raised on stories of her father's sacrifices from 50 years ago fighting the Mengistu regime.
From BBC • Mar. 5, 2026
Company lore is that founder Ryan Metzger and his son were frustrated that so many things weren’t accepted by their local hauler for recycling.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 21, 2026
But no matter where you’re from, there’s another piece of bald eagle lore people are starting to forget—that just a few decades ago, we nearly lost the birds to extinction.
From Slate • Feb. 21, 2026
Common lore insisted that such people were special.
From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.