Standard Lemma guide

ichor

noun · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈaɪkɔː/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /-kə/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈɪkə/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈaɪkɔɹ/
  • General-American: /ˈɪkəɹ/

1

noun

Meaning 1

The liquid said to flow in place of blood in the veins of the gods.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Greek, countable, uncountable

Topics: human-sciences, mysticism, mythology, philosophy, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The blood of human beings or animals; also (obsolete) the clear, fluid portion of blood; blood plasma, plasma.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, countable, poetic, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A blood-like fluid.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, countable, figuratively, poetic, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A fluid believed to seep out from magma and cause rock to turn into granite.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, broadly, countable, uncountable

Topics: geography, geology, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A fetid, watery discharge from a sore; pus.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, countable, obsolete, uncountable

Topics: medicine, pathology, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sanies

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

a fluid product of inflammation

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: pus, purulence, suppuration, sanies, festering

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: liquid body substance, bodily fluid, body fluid, humor, humour

Narrower terms: gleet

7

noun

Meaning 7

(Greek mythology) the rarified fluid said to flow in the veins of the Gods

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: fluid

History

Etymology

Sense 1 (“liquid said to flow in place of blood in the veins of the gods”) is borrowed from Medieval Latin ichor, from Ancient Greek ῑ̓χώρ (īkhṓr, “fluid running through the veins of gods, ichor; watery part of blood, lymph, serum; watery part of milk, whey; gravy; pus; naphtha”); further etymology unknown, probably from Pre-Greek. Sense 2.4 (“fetid, watery discharge from a sore”) is from Middle English icor, icore [and other forms], from Medieval Latin ichor; see further above.

Across languages

Translations

26 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Basque: ikor — liquid said to flow in place of blood in the veins of the gods
  • Bulgarian: ихор (ihor) — liquid said to flow in place of blood in the veins of the gods
  • Catalan: icor — liquid said to flow in place of blood in the veins of the gods
  • Czech: ichor — liquid said to flow in place of blood in the veins of the gods
  • Esperanto: iĥoro — liquid said to flow in place of blood in the veins of the gods
  • Esperanto: ikoro — liquid said to flow in place of blood in the veins of the gods
  • French: ichor — liquid said to flow in place of blood in the veins of the gods
  • German: Ichor — liquid said to flow in place of blood in the veins of the gods
  • Bavarian German: ichór — liquid said to flow in place of blood in the veins of the gods
  • Greek: ιχώρ (ichór) — liquid said to flow in place of blood in the veins of the gods
  • Ancient Greek: ῑ̓χώρ (īkhṓr) — liquid said to flow in place of blood in the veins of the gods
  • Italian: icore — liquid said to flow in place of blood in the veins of the gods
  • Japanese: イーコール — liquid said to flow in place of blood in the veins of the gods
  • Latin: ichor — liquid said to flow in place of blood in the veins of the gods
  • Macedonian: ихор (ihor) — liquid said to flow in place of blood in the veins of the gods
  • Polish: ichor — liquid said to flow in place of blood in the veins of the gods
  • Portuguese: icor — liquid said to flow in place of blood in the veins of the gods
  • Russian: ихор (ixor) — liquid said to flow in place of blood in the veins of the gods
  • Spanish: icor — liquid said to flow in place of blood in the veins of the gods
  • Ukrainian: іхор (ixor) — liquid said to flow in place of blood in the veins of the gods
  • Esperanto: ikoro — blood-like fluid
  • Old Armenian: վէրք (vērkʻ) — fetid, watery discharge from a sore — see also pus
  • Ancient Greek: ῑ̓χώρ (īkhṓr) — fetid, watery discharge from a sore — see also pus
  • Polish: posoka — fetid, watery discharge from a sore — see also pus
  • Russian: ихор (ixor) — fetid, watery discharge from a sore — see also pus
  • Spanish: icor — fetid, watery discharge from a sore — see also pus