ocher

American  

[oh-ker] / ˈoʊ kər /

Or ochre

noun

1. any of a class of natural earths, mixtures of hydrated oxide of iron with various earthy materials, ranging in color from pale yellow to orange and red, and used as pigments.

2. the color of this, ranging from pale yellow to an orangish or reddish yellow.

3. Obsolete. money, especially gold coin.

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adjective

1. of the color of ocher.

verb (used with object)

ochered, ochering

1. to color or mark with ocher.

ocher British  

/ ˈəʊkə, ˈəʊkrɔɪd /

noun

1. the US spelling of ochre

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Other Word Forms

• ocherous adjective
• ochery adjective
• ochroid adjective

Etymology

Origin of ocher

1350–1400; Middle English oker < Old French ocre < Latin ōchrā < Greek ṓchrā yellow ocher

Example Sentences

Irregular, varied layers of colored dots frame an immense, crusty center expanse with a flourish of widely spaced dots against ocher.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 28, 2026

Towering at 300 feet tall, the crumbly ocher cliffs of Palos Verdes Estates boast breathtaking views of Los Angeles’ coastline.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 31, 2025

The bodies of the dead themselves were often decorated with red ocher and other pigments.

From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023

Tones of umber and ocher are brought to life with splashes of color: a woman’s shoes in Coca-Cola red or the shimmering green exterior of a classic American car.

From New York Times • Nov. 10, 2022

The first chore of the amakhankatha was to paint our naked and shaved bodies from head to foot in white ocher, turning us into ghosts.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela