English

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Etymology

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French, from de (of) + or (gold).

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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d'or (not comparable)

  1. (heraldry, postpositive) Of gold; golden.
    • 1617, William Camden, Worshipful Society of Apothecaries - description of coat of arms
      On a shield azure Apollo, the inventor of phisique, proper, with his head radiant, holdinge in his left hand a bowe, and his right hande an arrow d'or []
    • 1846, Edgar Allan Poe, The Cask of Amontillado:
      ‘I forget your coat of arms.’
      ‘A human foot d’or, in a field azure; the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are imbedded in the heel.’

Usage notes

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  • The usual term is or, but as this is spelled the same as the conjunction or, the French form d'or is sometimes used to reduce ambiguity.
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Anagrams

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French

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Pronunciation

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Prepositional phrase

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d’or (invariable)

  1. (literally) golden, gold
    louis d’orlouis d'or
    tuer la poule aux œufs d’orto kill the goose that lays the golden eggs
  2. (figuratively) golden, gold
    avoir un cœur d’orto have a heart of gold
    âge d’orgolden age, golden years
    règle d’orgolden rule
    noces d’orgolden wedding
    le silence est d’orsilence is golden
    parler d’orto speak wisely

See also

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