ours

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English[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English oures, attested since the 1300s. Equivalent to our +‎ -s (compare -'s); formed by analogy to his. Displaced ourn (from Middle English ouren) in standard speech.[1]

Pronunciation[edit]

Pronoun[edit]

ours

  1. That which belongs to us; the possessive case of we, used without a following noun.

Derived terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2023), “ours”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Anagrams[edit]

French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Inherited from Middle French ours, from Old French urs, from Latin ursus.

The Early Modern French pronunciation was /uʁ/ before consonants, /uʁz/ before vowels, and /uʁs/ in pausa. For the most part, the pausal pronunciations were eventually lost, but in some cases they were re-established as the basic form (reinforced in part by the spelling, in part by related words; in this case perhaps the feminine ourse).

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

ours m (plural ours, feminine ourse)

  1. bear (animal)
  2. (gay slang) bear (hairy gay man)
  3. masthead (list of a newspaper's main staff)
  4. (cinematography) rough cut

Derived terms[edit]

Descendants[edit]

  • Haitian Creole: ous
  • Louisiana Creole: lours, lous
  • Mauritian Creole: lurs
  • Seychellois Creole: lours

Further reading[edit]

Middle English[edit]

Pronoun[edit]

ours

  1. Alternative form of oures

Middle French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old French urs, from Latin ursus.

Noun[edit]

ours m (plural ours, feminine singular ourse, feminine plural ourses)

  1. bear (mammal)

Descendants[edit]