orc
1 Americannoun
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any of several cetaceans, as a grampus.
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a mythical monster, as an ogre.
abbreviation
noun
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any of various whales, such as the killer and grampus
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one of an imaginary race of evil goblins, esp in the fiction of J.R.R. Tolkien
Etymology
Origin of orc
First recorded in 1520–30; partly from Middle French orque, a kind of whale, partly from Italian orca “large whale, fabulous sea monster,” partly from Latin orca, a kind of whale; see origin at orca ( def. ); see also Orcus ( def. ), ogre
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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.
The spell is only broken when the night ends, not with an out-of-control orc or goblin but with something far more mundane: a bill.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 4, 2024
We were in the city of Waterdeep, overrun by an orc horde.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 24, 2024
Because it was Adar, called “father” by his orc followers, who killed Sauron to protect his people.
From New York Times • Oct. 4, 2022
I'm using pots and pans on orcs, and Elijah's got the mithril vest to stave off the orc, or the whatever, the cave troll stabs him with the spear.
From Salon • Jan. 24, 2022
‘There was an orc with a whip, and then it turns into Sam! Then I wasn’t dreaming after all when I heard that singing down below, and I tried to answer? Was it you?’
From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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.
