pore

1 [pawr, pohr]
verb (used without object), pored, por·ing.
1.
to read or study with steady attention or application: a scholar poring over a rare old manuscript.
2.
to gaze earnestly or steadily: to pore over a painting.
3.
to meditate or ponder intently (usually followed by over, on, or upon ): He pored over the strange events of the preceding evening.
Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English pouren < ?

Can be confused: pause, paws, pores, pours.

Synonyms
3. ponder, scrutinize, peruse, examine.
Dictionary.com Unabridged

pore

2 [pawr, pohr]
noun
1.
a minute opening or orifice, as in the skin or a leaf, for perspiration, absorption, etc.
2.
a minute interstice, as in a rock.
Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English poore < Late Latin porus < Greek póros passage; see emporium, ford

Related forms
pore·like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To pore
00:10
Pore is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
pore1 (pɔː) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—vb (foll by over, on, or upon) (foll by over, on, or upon)
1.  (foll by over) to make a close intent examination or study (of a book, map, etc): he pored over the documents for several hours
2.  to think deeply (about): he pored on the question of their future
3.  rare to look earnestly or intently (at); gaze fixedly (upon)
 

pore2 (pɔː) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  anatomy, zoology any small opening in the skin or outer surface of an animal
2.  botany any small aperture, esp that of a stoma through which water vapour and gases pass
3.  any other small hole, such as a space in a rock, soil, etc
 
[C14: from Late Latin porus, from Greek poros passage, pore]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

pore
c.1300, perhaps from O.E. *purian, suggested by spyrian "to investigate, examine," and spor "a trace, vestige."

pore
late 14c., from L. porus "a pore," from Gk. poros "a pore," lit. "passage, way," from PIE *por- "going, passage," from base *per- "to lead, pass over" (see port (1)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

pore (pôr)
n.

  1. A minute opening in an animal or plant tissue.

  2. One of the minute openings of the sweat glands of the skin.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
pore   (pôr)  Pronunciation Key 

  1. A tiny opening, as one in an animal's skin or on the surface of a plant leaf or stem, through which liquids or gases may pass.

  2. A space in soil, rock, or loose sediment that is not occupied by mineral matter and allows the passage or absorption of fluids, such as water, petroleum, or air.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
But the figures that officials and pundits pore over are not those of opinion
  polls.
As investigators pore over his holdings, they might look in one other place as
  well: his secret island.
Gas is released through a pore in the bottom of its float, which is refilled
  through secretions from a special gland.
And they get to pore over math problems one-on-one with newly hired tutors,
  many of them former accountants and engineers.
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