noun
Meaning 1
A frown, a scowl; an angry or sullen look.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
lour
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.
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Received-Pronunciation: /ˈlaʊə/
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Received-Pronunciation: /ˈlaʊ.ə/
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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General-American: /ˈlaʊɚ/
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General-American: /ˈlaʊɹ/
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General-American: /ˈlaʊ.ɚ/
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rhymes with -aʊə(ɹ)
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rhymes with -aʊ.ə(ɹ)
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CMU ARPABET: L AW1 R Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
Of the sky, the weather, etc.: a dark, gloomy, and threatening appearance.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: gloom, gloominess
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 3
To frown; to look sullen.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: glower, scowl
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 4
To be dark, gloomy, and threatening, as clouds; of the sky: to be covered with dark and threatening clouds; to show threatening signs of approach, as a tempest.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively, intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 5
look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: frown, glower, lower
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: grimace, make a face, pull a face
Narrower terms: scowl
verb
Meaning 6
make lower or quieter
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- turn down the volume of a radio
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: turn down, lower
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: decrease, lessen, minify
verb
Meaning 7
set lower
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- lower a rating
- lower expectations
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: lower
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: devalue
Narrower terms: derate, subordinate, subdue
History
Etymology
The verb is derived from Middle English louren, lour, loure (“to frown or scowl; to be dark or overcast; to droop, fade, wither; to lurk, skulk”), probably from Old English *lūran, *lūrian, from Proto-Germanic *lūraną (“to lie in wait, lurk”). The English word is cognate with Danish lure (“to lie in ambush; to take a nap”), Middle Dutch loeren (modern Dutch loeren (“to lurk, spy on”)), Middle Low German lûren (“to lie in ambush”), German Low German luren (“to lurk”), Middle High German lūren (“to lie in ambush”) (modern German lauern (“to lie in ambush; to lurk”)), Icelandic lúra (“to take a nap”), Saterland Frisian luurje (“to lie in wait”), West Frisian loere (“to lurk”), and Swedish lura (“to lie in ambush; to deceive, fool, trick; to lure; to take a nap”); and is related to lurk. The noun is derived from the verb.
Across languages
Translations
9 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Czech: mračit se — to frown; to look sullen
- Czech: chmuřit se — to frown; to look sullen
- Czech: kabonit se — to frown; to look sullen
- Czech: zamračit se — to frown; to look sullen
- Czech: zachmuřit se — to frown; to look sullen
- Finnish: murjottaa — to frown; to look sullen
- Czech: mračit se — to be dark, gloomy, and threatening, as clouds
- Czech: kabonit se — to be dark, gloomy, and threatening, as clouds
- Finnish: uhata — to be dark, gloomy, and threatening, as clouds