Standard Lemma guide

nor

conj · noun · 8 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: nô
  • Received-Pronunciation: /nɔː/
  • General-American: nôr
  • General-American: /nɔɹ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɔː(ɹ)
  • homophone: gnaw (non-rhotic)
  • CMU ARPABET: N AO1 R Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

conj

Meaning 1

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: literary

Examples

  • Nor did I stop to think, but ran.
  • They are happy, nor need we worry.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

conj

Meaning 2

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • I am neither hungry nor thirsty.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

conj

Meaning 3

Neither.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

conj

Meaning 4

Used to introduce a further negative statement.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The struggle didn't end, nor was it diminished.
  • I hardly spoke with nor listened to anybody else.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

conj

Meaning 5

Than.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK, dialectal

Examples

  • He's no better nor you.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

Alternative form of NOR.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: alt-of, alternative

Topics: business, electrical-engineering, electricity, electromagnetism, electronics, energy, engineering, human-sciences, logic, mathematics, natural-sciences, philosophy, physical-sciences, physics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

A binary operator composite of NOT OR; negation of OR function.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • 0 NOR 0 is 1; 1 NOR anything is 0.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

Acronym of nucleolus organiser region.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: abbreviation, acronym, alt-of

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

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

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

From nor. Reinterpreted as NOT + OR or negation + OR (see also NAND, formed analogically).

Across languages

Translations

55 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: as — nor
  • Arabic: وَلَا (walā) — nor
  • Belarusian: ні (ni) — nor
  • Bulgarian: нито (nito) — nor
  • Catalan: ni — nor
  • Czech: ani — nor
  • Dutch: noch — nor
  • Esperanto: nek — nor
  • Estonian: ega — nor
  • Finnish: -kä — nor
  • French: ni — nor
  • Galician: nin — nor
  • Georgian: არც (arc) — nor
  • German: noch — nor
  • Hungarian: sem — nor
  • Hungarian: se — nor
  • Icelandic: né — nor
  • Italian: né — nor
  • Latin: nec — nor
  • Latvian: arī ne — nor
  • Luxembourgish: nach — nor
  • Middle English: ne — nor
  • Norwegian: eller — nor
  • Norwegian: heller ikke — nor
  • Persian: نه (na) — nor
  • Persian: و نه (va na) — nor
  • Polish: ani — nor
  • Portuguese: nem — nor
  • Romanian: nici — nor
  • Russian: ни (ni) — nor
  • Scottish Gaelic: no — nor
  • Scottish Gaelic: neo — nor
  • Scottish Gaelic: air neo — nor
  • Scottish Gaelic: cha mhò — nor
  • Serbo-Croatian: niti — nor
  • Serbo-Croatian: ni — nor
  • Slovak: ani — nor
  • Slovene: niti — nor
  • Slovene: ne — nor
  • Spanish: ni — nor
  • Swedish: eller — nor
  • Turkish: ne — nor
  • Ukrainian: ні (ni) — nor
  • Ukrainian: ніт (nit) — nor
  • Welsh: na (preconsonatal) — nor
  • Welsh: nac (prevocalic) — nor
  • Esperanto: malaŭ — NOT OR
  • Finnish: EI-TAI — NOT OR
  • French: NON-OU — NOT OR
  • Japanese: NOR (noa) — NOT OR
  • Japanese: 否定論理和 (hitei ronriwa) — NOT OR
  • Malay: TAK-ATAU — NOT OR
  • Romanian: SAU NEGAT — NOT OR
  • Romanian: NOR — NOT OR
  • Romanian: NOT OR — NOT OR