pore

views updated Jun 08 2018

pore¹ / pôr/ • n. chiefly Biol. a minute opening in a surface, esp. the skin or integument of an organism, through which gases, liquids, or microscopic particles can pass.pore² • v. [intr.] (pore over/through) be absorbed in the reading or study of: Heather spent hours poring over cookbooks. ∎ archaic think intently; ponder: when he has thought and pored on it.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

pore

views updated May 11 2018

pore
1.. (pedol.) A void surrounded completely by soil materials and created by the packing of mineral and organic particles. Pores can be filled by any proportion of air or water.

2.. An aperture on the surface of a pollen grain, which is circular or slightly elliptical. Compare COLPUS.

A Dictionary of Plant Sciences MICHAEL ALLABY

pore

views updated Jun 11 2018

pore1 minute orifice in a body. XIV. — (O)F. — L. porus — Gr. póros passage, pore, f. *por- *per- *pr; see FORD.
So porous XIV. — (O)F. poreux — medL. porōsus. porosity XIV. — medL.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

pore

views updated May 11 2018

pore2 look intently. XIII. ME. p(o)ure, powre, perh.:- OE. *pūrian, f. *pūr-, a mutated form of which (OE. *pȳran) may be the source of synon. ME. pire (XIV.). See PEER2.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

pore

views updated May 21 2018

pore(pedol.) A void surrounded completely by soil materials and created by the packing of mineral and organic particles. Pores can be filled by any proportion of air or water.

A Dictionary of Ecology MICHAEL ALLABY

pore

views updated May 08 2018

pore A void surrounded completely by soil or rock materials and created by the packing of mineral and organic particles. Pores can be filled by any proportion of air or water.

A Dictionary of Earth Sciences AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY