OR


Meaning of OR in English

I. ər, ˈȯr, Southern also ˈär conjunction

Etymology: Middle English, alteration of other, alteration of Old English oththe; akin to Old High German eddo or

Date: 13th century

1. — used as a function word to indicate an alternative

coffee or tea

sink or swim

the equivalent or substitutive character of two words or phrases

lessen or abate

or approximation or uncertainty

in five or six days

2. archaic : either

3. archaic : whether

4. — used in logic as a sentential connective that forms a complex sentence which is true when at least one of its constituent sentences is true; compare disjunction

II. preposition

Etymology: Middle English, from or, adverb, early, before, from Old Norse ār; akin to Old English ǣr early — more at ere

Date: 13th century

archaic : before

III. conjunction

Date: 13th century

archaic : before

IV. ˈȯr noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, gold, from Latin aurum — more at aureus

Date: 15th century

: the heraldic color gold or yellow

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.