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.
-
Archaic.
-
the process or act of teaching; instruction.
-
something that is taught; lesson.
-
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
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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
Synonym Usage
See learning.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of lore1
First recorded before 950; Middle English; Old English lār; cognate with Dutch leer, German Lehre “teaching”; see origin at learn
Origin of lore2
First recorded in 1615–25; from New Latin lōrum, special use of Latin lōrum “thong, strap”
Explanation
Lore is a body of knowledge or tradition that is passed down among members of a culture, usually orally. It's the lore in "folklore," and responsible for spreading the word on mythical figures like Santa Claus, Paul Bunyan, and even Uncle Sam. Most lore begins as an oral tradition, passed on by word of mouth, and only later takes on a written form. We tend to think of lore as something centuries-old, as in the British Arthurian lore surrounding the doings of the mythical King Arthur and his court. However, newer lore — such as baseball lore — is constantly springing up. Humans need and love their lore.
Vocabulary lists containing lore
Vocabulary from an excerpt from "Confessions of a 30-Year-Old Gamer," by Ta-Nehisi Paul Coates
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Beowulf
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The Girl Who Drank the Moon
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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.
"Damon's Odysseus is stubborn, overconfident and sacrilegious, but doesn't bear that much resemblance to the conniving, hypocritical egotist of lore who fretted over his wife's fidelity," she noted.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
The Facebook page — Goodbye Pillarhenge Park — has been the hub of Pillarhenge lore since 2015.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
Irritated upperclassmen, the lore goes, attempted to stop the juvenile climbing with an unconventional weapon: grease.
From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026
Despite the passage of time, even the basic lore behind Juneteenth is still murky, and feverishly debated.
From Salon ● Jun. 19, 2026
According to family lore, my great-grandmother’s great-grandmother’s great-grandfather was the first European person hanged in North America.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
