nor

See also: Appendix:Variations of "nor"

Translingual

Etymology

Clipping of English Norwegian or Norwegian norsk.

Symbol

nor

1. (international standards) ISO 639-2 & ISO 639-3 language code for Norwegian.

See also

• Wiktionary’s coverage of Norwegian terms

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: nô, IPA^(key): /nɔː/
• (General American) enPR: nôr, IPA^(key): /nɔɹ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)
• Homophone: gnaw (non-rhotic)

Etymology 1

From Middle English nauther, from nother. Cognate with neither. By surface analysis, not +‎ or.

Conjunction

nor

1. (literary) And... not (introducing a negative statement, without necessarily following one).

   Nor did I stop to think, but ran.

   They are happy, nor need we worry.

   • 1797, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner:

     Water, water, every where, / Nor any drop to drink.

   • 1825, Sir Walter Scott, The Talisman:

     And, moreover, I had made my vow to preserve my rank unknown till the crusade should be accomplished; nor did I mention it […]

   • 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XXXV”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 54:

     The cheeks drop in; the body bows;
     Man dies: nor is there hope in dust: […]

2. (formal) A function word introducing each except the first term of a series, indicating none of them is true.

   I am neither hungry nor thirsty nor tired.

   • c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]:

     I love your majesty / According to my bond, nor more nor less.

   • 1667, John Milton, “Book IV”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

     But neither breath of Morn when she ascends / With charm of earliest birds; nor rising sun / On this delightful land, nor herb, fruit, flower, / Glistering with dew; nor fragrance after showers; / Nor grateful Evening mild; nor silent Night / With this her solemn bird; nor walk by moon, / Or glittering starlight, without thee is sweet.

   • 2013 June 22, “T time”, in The Economist‎^[1], volume 407, number 8841, archived from the original on 27 October 2020, page 68:

     The ability to shift profits to low-tax countries by locating intellectual property in them […] is often assumed to be the preserve of high-tech companies. […] current tax rules make it easy for all sorts of firms to generate […] “stateless income”: profit subject to tax in a jurisdiction that is neither the location of the factors of production that generate the income nor where the parent firm is domiciled.

   • 2025 June 19, Rami Kaminski, ““Otroverts” and why nonconformists often see what others can’t”, in Big Think‎^[2]:

     For most people, this sacrifice is made easily and instinctively. Not so for otroverts, who are neither willing nor able to passively adopt the social scripts that others do. To the otrovert, who is constantly engaged with the choices and consequences of their individual life, social norms follow a circular logic: […]

3. (archaic) Neither.
   • c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]:

     I love your majesty / According to my bond, nor more nor less.

   • 1601, Ben Jonson, Poetaster or The Arraignment: […], London: […] [R. Bradock] for M[atthew] L[ownes] […], published 1602, →OCLC, Act I, scene ii:

     Nor you nor your house were so much as spoken of before I disbased myself.

4. (formal) Used to introduce a further negative statement.

   The struggle didn't end, nor was it diminished.

   I hardly spoke with nor listened to anybody else.

   • 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter I, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:

     I was about to say that I had known the Celebrity from the time he wore kilts. But I see I will have to amend that, because he was not a celebrity then, nor, indeed, did he achieve fame until some time after I left New York for the West.

5. (UK, dialect) Than.

   He's no better nor you.

   • 1861, George Eliot, Silas Marner, London: Penguin Books, published 1967, page 131:

     'I used to think, when you first come into these parts, as you were no better nor you should be.'

   • 1967, Barbara Sleigh, Jessamy, Sevenoaks, Kent: Bloomsbury, published 1993, →ISBN, page 92:

     I wouldn’t like to live here though, not after dark. Sooner you nor me.

Derived terms

• buff nor stye
• common sense is neither common nor sensical
• for love nor money
• gentle nor simple
• hide nor hair
• make head nor tail of
• make neither head nor tail of
• meddle nor make
• neither a borrower nor a lender be
• neither fish, flesh, nor fowl
• neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring; neither fish nor flesh, nor good red herring
• neither fish nor flesh
• neither fish nor fowl
• neither here nor there
• neither use nor ornament
• neither … nor
• rhyme nor reason
• tide nor time tarrieth no man

Translations

nor

• Albanian: as
• Arabic: وَلَا (walā)
• Belarusian: ні (ni)
• Bulgarian: нито (nito)
• Catalan: ni (ca)
• Czech: ani (cs)
• Dutch: noch (nl)
• Esperanto: nek (eo)
• Estonian: ega (et)
• Finnish: -kä (fi)
• French: ni (fr)
• Galician: nin (gl)
• Georgian: არც (arc)
• German: noch (de)
• Hungarian: sem (hu), se (hu)
• Icelandic: né
• Italian: né (it)
• Latin: nec (la)
• Latvian: arī ne
• Luxembourgish: nach (lb)
• Middle English: ne
• Norwegian: eller (no), heller ikke
• Persian: نه (fa) (na), و نه (va na) (formally)
• Polish: ani (pl)
• Portuguese: nem (pt)
• Romanian: nici (ro)
• Russian: ни (ru) (ni)
• Scottish Gaelic: no, neo, air neo, cha mhò
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Latin: niti (sh), ni (sh)

• Slovak: ani
• Slovene: niti, ne (sl)
• Spanish: ni (es)
• Swedish: eller (sv)
• Turkish: ne (tr)
• Ukrainian: ні (uk) (ni), ніт (nit) (literally)

See also

• neither

Etymology 2

From Etymology 1 (sense 2 above), reinterpreted as not + or or negation + or.

Noun

nor (plural nors)

1. (logic, electronics) Alternative form of NOR.

Coordinate terms

• and
• nand
• or
• xor

Anagrams

• NRO, RON, Ron, orn, ron

Aromanian

Noun

nor

1. alternative form of norã

Basque

Alternative forms

• nur (Soule)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nor/ [nor]
• Rhymes: -or
• Hyphenation: nor

Etymology 1

From Proto-Basque *nor, containing the interrogative prefix *no-.

Pronoun

nor (interrogative)

1. who

   Nor da? ― Who is he/she?

   Ez nekien nor zinen. ― I didn't know who you were.

   Norentzat da opari hau? ― Who is this present for?

Declension

Declension of Basque interrogative pronouns

		nor			zer		zein			zenbat
		indefinite	plural				indefinite	plural
absolutive		nor	nortzuk		zer		zein	zeintzuk		zenbat
ergative		nork	nortzuek		zerk		zeinek	zeintzuek		zenbatek
dative		nori	nortzuei		zeri		zeini	zeintzuei		zenbati
genitive		noren	nortzuen		zeren		zeinen	zeintzuen		zenbaten
comitative		norekin	nortzuekin		zerekin		zeinekin	zeintzuekin		zenbatekin
causative		norengatik	nortzuengatik		zergatik		zeinengatik	zeintzuengatik		zenbatengatik
benefactive		norentzat	nortzuentzat		zerentzat		zeinentzat	zeintzuentzat		zenbatentzat
instrumental	anim	nortaz	nortzuetaz		zertaz		zeinetaz	zeintzuetaz		zenbatetaz
	inan	―	―		zerez		zeinez	zeintzuez		zenbatez
inessive	anim	norengan	nortzuengan		―		zeinengan	zeintzuengan		zenbatengan
	inan	non	―		zertan		zeinetan	zeintzuetan		zenbatean zenbatetan
locative	anim	―	―		―		―	―		―
	inan	nongo	―		zereko		zeinetako	zeintzuetako		zenbateko zenbatetako
allative	anim	norengana	nortzuengana		―		zeinengana	zeintzuengana		zenbatengana
	inan	nora	―		zertara		zeinetara	zeintzuetara		zenbatetara
terminative	anim	norenganaino	nortzuenganaino		―		zeinenganaino	zeintzuenganaino		zenbatenganaino
	inan	noraino	―		zertaraino		zeinetaraino	zeintzuetaraino		zenbatetaraino
directive	anim	norenganantz	nortzuenganantz		―		zeinenganantz	zeintzuenganantz		zenbatenganantz
	inan	norantz	―		zertarantz		zeinetarantz	zeintzuetarantz		zenbatetarantz
destinative	anim	norenganako	nortzuenganako		―		zeinenganako	zeintzuenganako		zenbatenganako
	inan	norako	―		zertarako		zeinetarako	zeintzuetarako		zenbatetarako
ablative	anim	norengandik	nortzuengandik		―		zeinengandik	zeintzuengandik		zenbatengandik
	inan	nondik	―		zertatik		zeinetatik	zeintzuetatik		zenbatetatik
prolative		nortzat	―		zertzat		―	―		―

Derived terms

• nor baino nor
• nor baitzen ere
• nor edo nor (“someone”)
• nor ere
• nor eta nor
• nor gehiago
• nor izan (“to be capable”)

Etymology 2

From the interrogative pronoun.

Adjective

nor (indeclinable)

1. (grammatical term) (of a verb) intransitive without a dative argument

   Nor aditzak euskarazko aditzik errezenak dira. ― In Basque, nor verbs are the easiest to learn.

Further reading

• “nor”, in Euskaltzaindiaren Hiztegia [Dictionary of the Basque Academy] (in Basque), Euskaltzaindia [Royal Academy of the Basque Language]
• “nor”, in Orotariko Euskal Hiztegia [General Basque Dictionary], Euskaltzaindia, 1987–2005

Champenois

Alternative forms

• (Langrois) no

Etymology

Inherited from Old French noir, from Latin nigrum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nɔr/

Adjective

nor m (feminine nore, plural nors)

1. (Troyen, Langrois) black

References

• Daunay, Jean (1998), Parlers de Champagne : Pour un classement thématique du vocabulaire des anciens parlers de Champagne (Aube - Marne - Haute-Marne)‎^[3] (in French), Rumilly-lés-Vaudes
• Baudoin, Alphonse (1885), Glossaire de la forêt de Clairvaux‎^[4] (in French), Troyes

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈnor]

Noun

nor f

1. genitive plural of nora

Danish

Etymology

From Old Danish nor, from Proto-Germanic *narwaz. Related to narv and English narrow.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈnoˀɐ̯]

Noun

nor n (singular definite noret, plural indefinite nor)

1. narrow strait

Declension

Declension of nor

neuter gender	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	nor	noret	nor	norene
genitive	nors	norets	nors	norenes

See also

• vig
• fjord

Further reading

• “nor” in Den Danske Ordbog
• “nor” in Ordbog over det danske Sprog

Dutch

Etymology

Unclear, perhaps onomatopoeic, compare brommen (“to do time”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nɔr/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: nor
• Rhymes: -ɔr

Noun

nor (only as singular, with definite article: de nor)

1. (informal) jail, prison; imprisonment

   Synonyms: bajes, bak, gevang, gevangenis, lik

Megleno-Romanian

Etymology

From Latin nubilum. Compare Romanian nor, Aromanian nior.

Noun

nor m

1. cloud

Norman

Alternative forms

• nord (continental, Guernsey, Jersey)

Etymology

From Old French norht, north, nort (“north”), from Old English norþ (“north”), from Proto-Germanic *nurþrą (“north”), from Proto-Indo-European *ner- (“lower, bottom; to sink, shrivel”).

Noun

nor m (uncountable)

1. (Sark) north

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnɔr/
• Rhymes: -ɔr
• Syllabification: nor

Noun

nor f

1. genitive plural of nora

Romanian

Alternative forms

• nour — regional, Moldavia (region)
• noor — regional, Oltenia
• nuor, nuvăr — regional, Banat
• nuar — archaic, obsolete

Etymology

From older nuar, nuăr, from Latin nūbilum, noun use of the neuter of the adjective nūbilus (“cloudy”), from Latin nūbēs, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)newdʰ- (“to cover”). Compare Aromanian nior, Spanish nube, Italian nuvola, Friulian nûl, Portuguese nuvem, Catalan núvol, Provençal nyiuro, niora.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [nor]

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

nor m (plural nori)

1. cloud

Declension

	singular			plural
	indefinite	definite		indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	nor	norul		nori	norii
genitive-dative	nor	norului		nori	norilor
vocative	norule			norilor

Derived terms

• (a se) înnora
• noros
• zgârie-nori

Slovene

Etymology

From German Narr or, rather, Bavarian Noar.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nɔ́r/

Adjective

nȍr (comparative bȍlj nȍr, superlative nȁjbolj nȍr)

1. crazy, insane, mad

Declension

The diacritics used in this section of the entry are non-tonal. If you are a native tonal speaker, please help by adding the tonal marks.

Hard
	masculine	feminine	neuter
nom. sing.	nòr	nôra	nôro
singular
	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	nòr ind nôri def	nôra	nôro
genitive	nôrega	nôre	nôrega
dative	nôremu	nôri	nôremu
accusative	nominativeinan or genitiveanim	nôro	nôro
locative	nôrem	nôri	nôrem
instrumental	nôrim	nôro	nôrim
dual
	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	nôra	nôri	nôri
genitive	nôrih	nôrih	nôrih
dative	nôrima	nôrima	nôrima
accusative	nôra	nôri	nôri
locative	nôrih	nôrih	nôrih
instrumental	nôrima	nôrima	nôrima
plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	nôri	nôre	nôra
genitive	nôrih	nôrih	nôrih
dative	nôrim	nôrim	nôrim
accusative	nôre	nôre	nôra
locative	nôrih	nôrih	nôrih
instrumental	nôrimi	nôrimi	nôrimi

Derived terms

• norčàv
• nôrec
• noréti
• noróst

Further reading

• “nor”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU (in Slovene), 2014–2026

Swedish

Etymology

Inherited from Old Swedish nor, from Proto-Germanic *narwaz. Cognate with English narrow.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nuːr/

Noun

nor n

1. narrow strait

Declension

Declension of nor

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	nor	nors
	definite	noret	norets
plural	indefinite	nor	nors
	definite	noren	norens

Further reading

• nor in Svenska Akademiens ordböcker
• nor in Elof Hellquist, Svensk etymologisk ordbok (1st ed., 1922)

Anagrams

• ron

Veps

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *noora.

Noun

nor

1. rope

Declension

Inflection of nor (inflection type 6/kuva)
nominative sing.	nor
genitive sing.	noran
partitive sing.	norad
partitive plur.	norid
	singular	plural
nominative	nor	norad
accusative	noran	norad
genitive	noran	noriden
partitive	norad	norid
essive-instructive	noran	norin
translative	noraks	norikš
inessive	noras	noriš
elative	noraspäi	norišpäi
illative	noraha	norihe
adessive	noral	noril
ablative	noralpäi	norilpäi
allative	norale	norile
abessive	norata	norita
comitative	noranke	noridenke
prolative	noradme	noridme
approximative I	noranno	noridenno
approximative II	norannoks	noridennoks
egressive	norannopäi	noridennopäi
terminative I	norahasai	norihesai
terminative II	noralesai	norilesai
terminative III	norassai	—
additive I	norahapäi	norihepäi
additive II	noralepäi	norilepäi

Yola

Conjunction

nor

1. alternative form of noor
   • 1867, “VERSES IN ANSWER TO THE WEDDEEN O BALLYMORE”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 3, page 100:

     Mye thee friend ne're waant welcome, nor straayart comfoort.

     May thy friend ne'er want welcome, nor the stranger comfort.

   • 1867, “CASTEALE CUDDE'S LAMENTATION”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 3, page 104:

     Mee piggès, mee geearthès, nor nodhing threeve,

     My pigs, my goats, nor nothing thrive,

References

• Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828), William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 100