lore

¹

[lawr, lohr]

noun

1. the body of knowledge, especially of a traditional, anecdotal, or popular nature, on a particular subject.

   the lore of herbs.

   Synonyms: wisdom

2. learning, knowledge, or erudition.

3. Archaic.

   1. the process or act of teaching; instruction.

   2. something that is taught; lesson.

lore

²

[lawr, lohr]

noun

Zoology.

1. the space between the eye and the bill of a bird, or a corresponding space in other animals, as snakes.

lore

¹

/ lɔː /

noun

1. collective knowledge or wisdom on a particular subject, esp of a traditional nature

2. knowledge or learning

3. archaic,  teaching, or something that is taught

lore

²

/ lɔː /

noun

1. the surface of the head of a bird between the eyes and the base of the bill

2. the corresponding area in a snake or fish

Other Word Forms

• loreless adjective

Word History and Origins

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”

Word History and Origins

Origin of lore¹

Old English lār; related to leornian to _learn

Origin of lore²

C19: from New Latin lōrum, from Latin: strap

Synonym Study

See learning.

Example Sentences

The author burrowed into lexicographical lore, adjusting to the “musky” smell of old paper, but was alive to the need to register the zeitgeist.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Our political lore tends to draw false dichotomies between partisan eras.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But what he was still missing was a moment—a singular, unforgettable highlight that would live in Yankees lore alongside Mr. October, “The Flip” and Aaron Bleepin’ Boone.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But standing in their way is 71-year-old Sliwa, a Guardian Angel and subway vigilante who cemented his place in city lore after surviving five gunshot wounds in an alleged mob hit in 1992.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Not just with Wales – although his withering assessment of a loss to Finland has gone down in lore – but, in the Premier League, live takedowns of Graeme Souness and John Terry spring to mind.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• adage 
• belief 
• custom 
• fable 
• folklore 
• knowledge 
• legend 
• mythology 
• superstition 
• tale 
• tradition