ocher

or o·chre

[ oh-ker ]

/ ˈoʊ kər /

noun

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.

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

Obsolete. money, especially gold coin.

adjective

of the color of ocher.

verb (used with object), o·chered, o·cher·ing.

to color or mark with ocher.

Nearby words

ocellation, ocellus, ocelot, och, oche, ocher, ochlesis, ochlocracy, ochlophobia, ocho rios, ochoa

Origin of ocher

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

Related forms

o·cher·ous, o·cher·y, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ocher

The temple is painted an ocher color, symbolizing the character of the god Durga—blood.
Seven Legs Across the Seas|Samuel Murray
Dust was ingrained into his skin, like an ocher pigment; his throat and brows were moist with perspiration.
Caravans By Night|Harry Hervey
A Christlike man in the ocher robes of a swami stood motionless at the end of the road.
Autobiography of a YOGI|Paramhansa Yogananda
She shall be veiled to her eyes, with a bit of ocher on her forehead.
The Adventures of Kathlyn|Harold MacGrath

Female—The female is much more of an ocher brown than the male, and without the stripe on the neck or the lead color of the bill.
Game Birds and Game Fishes of the Pacific Coast|Harry Thom Payne

British Dictionary definitions for ocher

ocher

/ (ˈəʊkə) /

noun, adjective, verb

the US spelling of ochre

Derived Forms

ocherous or ochery, adjectiveochroid (ˈəʊkrɔɪd), adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012