pore
pore Lexical Profile
pore Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A minute opening in a surface, especially in the skin or outer membrane of an animal or the epidermis of a plant leaf, through which gases, liquids, or microscopic particles may pass.
"Washing your face with warm water helps clear oil and debris from the pores of your skin."
A tiny void, interstice, or channel within a rock, soil, ceramic, or other solid material that allows fluids to permeate.
"Water seeps slowly through the microscopic pores of the sandstone aquifer."
• verb
To read, study, or examine something with close and steady attention (usually followed by 'over').
"The historians spent weeks poring over the newly discovered manuscripts in the university archive."
Word Nuance & Usage
The verb 'pore' (as in 'pore over a book') is frequently confused with its homophone 'pour' (to cause a liquid to flow). As a verb, 'pore' is almost always followed by the preposition 'over'.
• Rhymes for pore
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
The noun derives from Middle English, borrowed via Old French from Latin 'porus' and Ancient Greek 'poros', meaning a passage or way. The verb dates to the 13th century, Middle English 'pouren' (to gaze intently), of uncertain origin.