[doo
r, douuhr, dou-er] 
| 1. | sullen; gloomy: The captain's dour look depressed us all. |
| 2. | severe; stern: His dour criticism made us regret having undertaken the job. |
| 3. | Scot. (of land) barren; rocky, infertile, or otherwise difficult or impossible to cultivate. |
| dour (dŏŏr, dour) adj. dour·er, dour·est
[Middle English, possibly from Middle Irish dúr, probably from Latin dūrus, hard; see deru- in Indo-European roots.] dour'ly adv., dour'ness n. Usage Note: The word dour, which is etymologically related to duress and endure, traditionally rhymes with tour. The variant pronunciation that rhymes with sour is, however, widely used and must be considered acceptable. In a recent survey, 65 percent of the Usage Panel preferred the traditional pronunciation, and 33 percent preferred the variant. |
| Main Entry: | dour1 |
| Part of Speech: | adj |
| Definition: | extremely serious and stern; forbidding |
| Etymology: | Latin durus 'hard' |
| Main Entry: | dour2 |
| Part of Speech: | adj |
| Definition: | gloomy, sullen |
| Etymology: | Latin durus 'hard' |
| Main Entry: | dour3 |
| Part of Speech: | adj |
| Definition: | stubborn and obstinate |
| Etymology: | Latin durus 'hard' |
| Main Entry: | dour4 |
| Part of Speech: | adj |
| Definition: | bleak and gloomy |
| Etymology: | Latin durus 'hard' |
| Usage: | meteorology |