You searched for: “pore”
poor, pore, pour
poor (POOR) (adjective)
1. Inadequate, meager, inferior, characterized by poverty, without material possession: The critics agreed that the singer at the concert was a poor and inferior choice.

The living conditions for the refugees in the large city were poor and very unsatisfactory.

The children felt very poor because they did not have the latest TV model.

2. Not good in quality or condition; bad: Harry's poor state of health makes it impossible for him to find a job.

The driver couldn't see the road sign because of his poor and feeble vision.

3. Referring to someone or something as to show sympathy: Leave the poor man alone, because he can't help it if he can't walk faster.

I wonder how those poor birds find food during the winter when the snow covers everything.

pore (POHR, POR) (verb)
To study intently, to meditate upon something in a steady manner: The scholarship candidate was determined to pore over her notes before the examination.

Ernest sat quietly in the comfortable chair in order to pore over the sad news from home.

pour (POHR, POR) (verb)
1. To precipitate hard and consistently: The weather prediction is that the rain will pour down for about three hours.
2. To flow or to dispense from a container: The maid was careful to pour the tea from the pot into the new cups.
3. To give uninhibited expression to: The two friends agreed to meet and to pour out their concerns to each other.
4. To come continuously: Compliments about the new fashion designs seemed to pour in every day.

The librarian exclaimed, "You poor dear, having to sit in the library all day to pore over these ancient documents. You must come down to my office so I can pour you a cup of tea."

This entry is located in the following unit: Confusing Words Clarified: Group P; Homonyms, Homophones, Homographs, Synonyms, Polysemes, etc. + (page 6)
pore (s) (noun), pores (pl)
1. A tiny opening in human skin, or in the skin or other outer covering of an animal, through which substances can pass: Perspiration, for example, is released through the pores in the human body.
2. A tiny opening in a leaf or stem of a plant: Pores are used in plants to absorb or release substances, such as in photosynthesis or respiration.
3. A small space that is surrounded by rock or soil: Pores in rocks may be filled with water, crude oil, or natural gas.
4. Etymology: from Latin porus "a pore" (a small opening or empty space); which came from Greek poros, "a pore", literally, "a passage, a way [through]".

Although the ancient Greeks could examine the skin only with their eyes, and possibly with the aide of a primitive lens, they clearly recognized the presence of pores, or passageways, through which sweat was excreted.

This entry is located in the following unit: poro-, por-, pori- + (page 1)
poro-, por-, pori- +
(Greek > Latin > Old French: passageway, used primarily as "a pore, a small orifice"; opening; cavity, tract)
Word Entries containing the term: “pore”
closed pore (s) (noun), closed pores (pl)
A cavity inside a material that is impermeable when the material is immersed in a liquid: Closed pores can be contrasted to open pores, or the spaces between particles, cracks, and capillaries that extend into materials from their surfaces.

Impermeable refers to a situation that does not permit the passage of liquid, gas, or other fluids to take place.

This entry is located in the following units: clud-, claud-, claus-, clos-, -clude, -clois, -cluding, -cluded, -clus, -clusion, -clusive (page 2) poro-, por-, pori- + (page 1)
pore electrode
An electrode whose contact surface, through which the current passes to the tissue being stimulated, is porous.
This entry is located in the following unit: electro-, electr-, electri- (page 98)
taste pore, gustatory pore (s) (noun); taste pores; gustatory pores (pl)
One of the external openings of taste buds on the tongue: The reason why little Susy could enjoy her ice cream so much was because of the many taste pores allowing dissolved ice cream (or food) to come in contact with the taste receptors.
This entry is located in the following units: gust-, gusti- (page 3) poro-, por-, pori- + (page 3)