ochre means having a yellow-orange colour. It carries an Arena rating of 1514, earned across 2 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, ochre ranks #961 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words, #1,085 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #1,543 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #4,892 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words.
ochre is pronounced /ˈəʊkə/.
Why “ochre” is a great word
A natural clay earth pigment, ranging from pale yellow to deep reddish-brown, and the color so produced. From Middle English *oker*, from Old French *ocre*, from Latin *ōchra*, from Ancient Greek ὤχρα (*ṓkhra*, 'pale yellow, ochre'), from ὠχρός (*ōkhrós*, 'pale, sallow'). Unlike sienna, which denotes a roasted, specific ruddy hue, or umber, which carries the cooler shadow of manganese, ochre is the primal, forgiving warmth of ordinary earth. It is the stain of an ancient hand on a cave wall, the dust of a sun-baked footpath, the defining hue of a landscape stripped to its bone—the patient color of human presence on an enduring world.
Etymology
From Old French ocre and its source Latin ōchra, from Ancient Greek ὤχρα (ṓkhra, “pale yellow”), from ὠχρός (ōkhrós, “pale, ocher”) (modern Greek ωχρός (ochrós)).
adj
- Having a yellow-orange colour.
- Referring to cultures that covered their dead with ochre.
noun
- A clay earth pigment containing silica, aluminum and ferric oxide.
- A somewhat dark yellowish orange colour.
- The stop codon sequence "UAA".
- Money, especially gold.e.g.“‘What does he come here cheeking us for, then?’ cried Master Kidderminster, showing a very irascible temperament. ‘If you want to cheek us, pay your ochre at the doors and take it out.’” — 1854, Charles Dickens, chapter 6, in Hard Times:
- Any of various brown-coloured hesperiid butterflies of the genus Trapezites.
verb
- To cover or tint with ochre.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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