pore

C2 Topic:The Human Body

US /poɹ/ UK /pɔː(ɹ)/ See IPA manual

Homophones

pour /poɹ/

Freq #33744

Meanings

1

noun
A tiny opening in the skin.

I could sense the sweat dripping out of all my pores.
2

noun
By extension any small opening or interstice, especially one of many, or one allowing the passage of a fluid.

The pores of a rock.
3

verb
To study meticulously; to go over again and again.

Yet each foreign post day she watched for the arrival of letters - knew the postmark, and watched me as I read. I found her often poring over the articles of Greek intelligence in the newspaper.
4

noun
any small opening in the skin or outer surface of an animal

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a tiny opening in the skin. sweat hole

Word family

Forms poresporing

Derived forms acidoporeaporeticaporiaaporicbioporeblastoporecolporatecryptoporedactyloporeelectroporegastroporegonopore

Related forms porous

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

germ pore
an opening in a spore or pollen wall through which a growing tube emerges

Noun + noun

Etymology

From Middle English poren, pouren, puren (“to gaze intently, look closely”), from Old English *pūrian, from Proto-West Germanic *pūrōn, suggested by Old English spyrian (“to investigate, examine”). Akin to Saterland Frisian puurje (“to question, investigate; pry, prod”), West Frisian poarje (“to poke, prod”), Middle Dutch poren (“to pore, look”), Dutch porren (“to poke, prod, stir, encourage, endeavour, attempt”), Low German purren (“to poke, stir”), Danish purre (“to poke, stir, rouse”), dialectal Swedish pora, pura, påra (“to work slowly and gradually, work deliberately”), Old English spor (...

Topics

The Human Body

External links

# pore

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /poɹ/
**IPA (UK):** /pɔː(ɹ)/
**Frequency rank:** 33744

## Meanings
1. A tiny opening in the skin.
2. By extension any small opening or interstice, especially one of many, or one allowing the passage of a fluid.
3. To study meticulously; to go over again and again.
4. any small opening in the skin or outer surface of an animal

## Examples
- I could sense the sweat dripping out of all my pores.
- The pores of a rock.
- Yet each foreign post day she watched for the arrival of letters - knew the postmark, and watched me as I read. I found her often poring over the articles of Greek intelligence in the newspaper.

## Derived Forms
- acidopore
- aporetic
- aporia
- aporic
- biopore
- blastopore
- colporate
- cryptopore
- dactylopore
- electropore
- gastropore
- gonopore

## Related Forms
- porous

## Etymology
From Middle English poren, pouren, puren (“to gaze intently, look closely”), from Old English *pūrian, from Proto-West Germanic *pūrōn, suggested by Old English spyrian (“to investigate, examine”). Akin to Saterland Frisian puurje (“to question, investigate; pry, prod”), West Frisian poarje (“to poke, prod”), Middle Dutch poren (“to pore, look”), Dutch porren (“to poke, prod, stir, encourage, endeavour, attempt”), Low German purren (“to poke, stir”), Danish purre (“to poke, stir, rouse”), dialectal Swedish pora, pura, påra (“to work slowly and gradually, work deliberately”), Old English spor (...

## Topics
- The Human Body

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