rigour

[rig-er]

noun Chiefly British.

rigor.

Nearby words

rigor

[rig-er]

noun

strictness, severity, or harshness, as in dealing with people.

the full or extreme severity of laws, rules, etc.

severity of living conditions; hardship; austerity: the rigor of wartime existence.

a severe or harsh act, circumstance, etc.

scrupulous or inflexible accuracy or adherence: the logical rigor of mathematics.

severity of weather or climate or an instance of this: the rigors of winter.

Pathology. a sudden coldness, as that preceding certain fevers; chill.

Physiology. a state of rigidity in muscle tissues during which they are unable to respond to stimuli due to the coagulation of muscle protein.

Obsolete. stiffness or rigidity.

Also especially British, rig·our.

Origin of rigor

1350–1400; Middle English rigour < Latin rigor stiffness, equivalent to rig(ēre) to be stiff + -or -or¹

SYNONYMS FOR rigor

1. inflexibility, stringency. 4. cruelty.

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

Examples from the Web for rigour

"The season promises to be one of rigour and great need," replied the other.
Kai Lung's Golden Hours|Ernest Bramah
He copied the manner of life of Sokrates, in plainness and rigour.
Plato and the Other Companions of Sokrates, 3rd ed. Volume I (of 4)|George Grote
By its uniformity and rigour it gives the appearance of systematic order even when such order is wholly absent.
A Commentary to Kant's 'Critique of Pure Reason'|Norman Kemp Smith
It is a historical fact that the party of rigour is not generally the official party.
Expositor's Bible: Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther|Walter Adeney

Of this Roman rigour the Pont du Gard is an admirable example.
A Little Tour in France|Henry James

British Dictionary definitions for rigour

rigour

US rigor

noun

harsh but just treatment or action

a severe or cruel circumstance; hardshipthe rigours of famine

strictness, harshness, or severity of character

strictness in judgment or conduct; rigorism

maths logic logical validity or accuracy

obsolete rigidity

Word Origin for rigour

C14: from Latin rigor

rigor

noun

med a sudden feeling of chilliness, often accompanied by shivering: it sometimes precedes a fever

(ˈrɪɡə) pathol rigidity of a muscle; muscular cramp

a state of rigidity assumed by some animals in reaction to sudden shock

the inertia assumed by some plants in conditions unfavourable to growth

Word Origin for rigor

see rigour

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 rigour

rigour

chiefly British English spelling of rigor (q.v.); for spelling, see -or.

rigor

late 14c., from Old French rigor "strength, hardness" (13c., Modern French rigueur), from Latin rigorem (nominative rigor) "numbness, stiffness, hardness, firmness; roughness, rudeness," from rigere "be stiff" (see rigid).

Medicine definitions for rigour

rigor

[rĭg′ər]

n.

rigidity

Shivering or trembling, as caused by a chill.

A state of rigidity in living tissues or organs that prevents response to stimuli.