Kilo Lingo

l'

masculine

/ɔʁ/

Line drawing of or
Coloured illustration of or
#739 of 5,000 Core 1000

Translation

gold; but, now (conjunction)

Word origin

As a noun ('gold'), from Latin aurum ('gold'); as a conjunction ('now, yet'), from Vulgar Latin hora ('hour, now'), from Latin hora. The noun and conjunction are unrelated despite the shared spelling.

Origin
Latin
Root
aurum
English cognates
aureate, oriole

Other proposed origins

  • The noun 'gold' is from Latin aurum. (aurum)
  • The conjunction 'now, yet' is from Vulgar Latin hora, from Latin hora ('hour'). (hora)

Grammar

Gendermasculine

Examples

l' .

The price of gold has risen a great deal in recent years.

; , ' .

He thought he was right; however, he had been completely wrong.

; , .

She was looking for a simple solution; but, the situation was far more complex.

-.

Her gold ring comes from her grandmother.

l' cette .

The price of gold has risen a lot this year.

Or a deux emplois distincts : le nom masculin (gold) et la conjonction de coordination (but, now, however). La conjonction or introduit une proposition qui contraste legerement ou developpe avec ce qui precede - moins fort que mais et plus litteraire.

En or (made of gold, excellent) est courant : un prof en or (an excellent teacher). Age d'or (golden age) et regle d'or (golden rule) sont des expressions figees. La conjonction or s'emploie surtout dans les textes ecrits formels et les raisonnements (dissertations, argumentation).

Where this fits

Used in

Grammar articles

(72)

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This word is part of lesson 15.