orc

¹ American  

[awrk] / ɔrk /

noun

1. any of several cetaceans, as a grampus.

2. a mythical monster, as an ogre.

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O.R.C. ² American  

abbreviation

1. Officers' Reserve Corps.

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orc British  

/ ɔːk /

noun

1. any of various whales, such as the killer and grampus

2. one of an imaginary race of evil goblins, esp in the fiction of J.R.R. Tolkien

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Etymology

Origin of orc

First recorded in 1520–30; partly from Middle French orque, a kind of whale, partly from Italian orca “large whale, fabulous sea monster,” partly from Latin orca, a kind of whale; orca ( def. ); Orcus ( def. ), ogre

Compare meaning

How does orc compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• ogre vs. orc

Example Sentences

Near Harrismith, O.R.C., in 1903, two herd boys with a troop of about a hundred goats and calves were caught by the hail.

From Project Gutenberg

O.R.C., who is a well-known contributor to the American Rifleman and the Infantry Journal and Antiques and the old Gun Report.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• mammal
• porpoise