ochre

[oh-ker]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ochre ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, adjective, verb (used with object), o·chred, o·chring.

ocher.

Related formso·chre·ous

[oh-ker-uh s, oh-kree-uh s] /ˈoʊ kər əs, ˈoʊ kri əs/, o·chrous

[oh-kruh s] /ˈoʊ krəs/, o·chry

[oh-kree] /ˈoʊ kri/, adjective

ocher

or o·chre

[oh-ker]

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.

Origin of ocher

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

Related formso·cher·ous, o·cher·y, adjective

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

Related Words for ochre

fawn, ginger, tan, toast, amber, brick, nut, buff, coffee, drab, dust, bronze, bay, ecru, beige, rust, copper, cinnamon, russet, puce

Examples from the Web for ochre

Contemporary Examples of ochre

The ochre spaghetti you get looks steampunk, but tastes just fine.
Tales of a Jailhouse Gourmet: How I learned to Cook in Prison
Daniel Genis
June 21, 2014
Our guide, Mouha, glanced up at the trail that disappeared far into the ochre uplands.
On Foot in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco
Joanna Eede
January 22, 2014
In this 1962 painting, called “Ochre and Black,” Gottlieb shows us pulling a face.
AbEx with a Human Face
Blake Gopnik
April 23, 2012

Historical Examples of ochre

Every day I wrote with him, first in red, and then in ochre to give him a rest.
Droozle
Frank Banta
All were profusely painted with chalk, ochre, and vermilion.
The War Trail
Mayne Reid
To-day, they wear the ochre helmet, and show the profiles of Saracen warriors.
The New Book Of Martyrs
Georges Duhamel
The houses are of all colours from ochre to gray, and all sizes, and all architectures.
Through Arctic Lapland
Cutcliffe Hyne
These formulas, however, contained a small percentage of umber and ochre.
Paint Technology and Tests
Henry A. Gardner

British Dictionary definitions for ochre

ochre

US ocher

noun

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

a moderate yellow-orange to orange colour
(as adjective)an ochre dress

verb

(tr) to colour with ochre

Derived Formsochreous (ˈəʊkrɪəs, ˈəʊkərəs), ochrous (ˈəʊkrəs), ochry (ˈəʊkərɪ, ˈəʊkrɪ), US ocherous or ochery, adjectiveochroid (ˈəʊkrɔɪd), adjective

Word Origin for ochre

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

ocher

noun, adjective, verb

the US spelling of ochre

Derived Formsocherous 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

Word Origin and History for ochre

type of clayey soil (much used in pigments), late 14c., from Old French ocre (c.1300) and directly from Late Latin ocra, from Latin ochra, from Greek ochra, from ochros "pale yellow," of unknown origin. As a color name, "brownish-yellow," it is attested from mid-15c. Related: Ochreous.

ocher

see ochre.