ochre

American  

[oh-ker] / ˈoʊ kər /

noun

ochred, ochring

1. ocher.

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ochre British  

/ ˈəʊkərɪ, ˈəʊkrɪəs, ˈəʊkrəs, ˈəʊkrɔɪd, ˈəʊkə, ˈəʊkərəs, ˈəʊkrɪ /

noun

1. any of various natural earths containing ferric oxide, silica, and alumina: used as yellow or red pigments

2. 1. a moderate yellow-orange to orange colour

   2. ( as adjective )

      an ochre dress

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verb

1. (tr) to colour with ochre

Other Word Forms

• ochreous adjective
• ochroid adjective
• ochrous adjective
• ochry adjective

Etymology

Origin of ochre

C15: from Old French ocre, from Latin ōchra, from Greek ōkhra, from ōkhros pale yellow

Example Sentences

The crash happened within 3km of the end of the stage which meant Vine did not lose any time and kept his leader's ochre jersey .

From Barron's • Jan. 23, 2026

Since then, engraved ochre, beads and abstract marks from South African sites such as Blombos Cave, some 70,000–100,000 years old, have shown that symbolic behaviour was already established in Africa long before.

From BBC • Jan. 21, 2026

Throughout his career, Lowry favored mostly five colors: ochre, blue, black, white and red.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025

“We can now be quite confident that ferrihydrite is the dominant iron-bearing mineral causing Mars' distinctive ochre color,” Valentinas said.

From Salon • Mar. 1, 2025

The dead man had worn his long brown hair loose, except for a single lock at the temple, matted with red ochre.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver