ore

/ɔ:/

Thân thiện

A miner holds a piece of iron ore in his gloved hand.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A naturally occurring solid material from which a metal or valuable mineral can be profitably extracted: "Ore" refers to a rock or mineral deposit that contains a sufficient concentration of a valuable element, typically a metal, to make mining economically viable.
   • (Historical/Numismatic) A monetary subunit: In Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, an "ore" is a subunit of currency, with 100 ore equaling 1 krona or krone. (Note: This usage is now largely historical, as these countries no longer use physical ore coins.)

Usage and Examples

• Noun (Mineral):
  • The company discovered a rich vein of iron ore in the mountains.
  • Processing the ore to extract the gold is a complex chemical process.
• Noun (Currency):
  • The old coin was worth fifty ore. (This refers to the historical subunit.)

Advanced Usage

• "Ore body": A large, continuous mass of ore within the earth.
  • Geologists mapped the entire ore body before mining began.
• "Ore deposit": A natural concentration of ore.
  • The region is known for its rich copper ore deposits.

Variants and Related Words

• Ore dressing (n): The process of separating valuable minerals from the waste rock (gangue) in an ore; also called mineral processing.
  • Ore dressing is a crucial step before smelting.
• Ore carrier (n): A large ship designed to transport bulk ore.

Synonyms

• Mineral deposit: A natural occurrence of a useful mineral.
• Metal-bearing rock: Describes rock containing metal ores.

Different Meanings

The word "ore" has two distinct primary meanings: 1. The geological and mining term for a valuable mineral source. 2. The historical Scandinavian currency term. These meanings are unrelated in origin and context. The geological term is by far the most common in modern global English.

Notes on Usage

• When used in the context of geology, mining, or industry, "ore" almost always refers to the mineral source.
• The currency meaning is specific to Scandinavian history and is rarely encountered in everyday modern English outside of historical or numismatic discussions. The modern currencies (Danish krone, Norwegian krone, Swedish krona) are decimal but do not use a physical "ore" subunit anymore.

Học thuật

Noun

1. a monetary subunit in Denmark and Norway and Sweden; 100 ore equal 1 krona
2. a mineral that contains metal that is valuable enough to be mined