orc

[ awrk ]

noun

any of several cetaceans, as a grampus.
a mythical monster, as an ogre.

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; see also Orcus, ogre

Other definitions for O.R.C. (2 of 2)

O.R.C.

abbreviation

Officers' Reserve Corps.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use orc in a sentence

And actually I can think of a hell of a great way to kill Orcs but I am always restricted by PG-13, unfortunately.
‘No Regrets’: Peter Jackson Says Goodbye to Middle-Earth | Alex Suskind | December 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
I heard stories during the Iraq War of American soldiers shooting down foreign fighters whom they called “orcs.”
Daenerys Goes to Washington: The Modern Politics of ‘Game of Thrones’ | Jedediah Purdy | April 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Orkney retains the name of the Orcs (Boars), a Pictish tribe.
Ancient Man in Britain | Donald A. (Donald Alexander) Mackenzie

British Dictionary definitions for orc

orc

/ (ɔːk) /

noun

any of various whales, such as the killer and grampus
one of an imaginary race of evil goblins, esp in the fiction of J.R.R. Tolkien

Origin of orc

C16: via Latin orca, perhaps from Greek orux whale

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

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