nor

¹

[nawr, ner]

conjunction

1. (used in negative phrases, especially after neither, to introduce the second member in a series, or any subsequent member).

   Neither he nor I will be there. They won't wait for you, nor for me, nor for anybody.

2. (used to continue the force of a negative, as not, no, never, etc., occurring in a preceding clause).

   He left and I never saw him again, nor did I regret it.

3. (used after an affirmative clause, or as a continuative, in the sense ofand not ).

   They are happy, nor need we worry.

4. Older Use.,  than.

5. Archaic.,  (used without a preceding neither, the negative force of which is understood).

   He nor I was there.

6. Archaic.,  (used instead of neither as correlative to a followingnor ).

   Nor he nor I was there.

NOR

²

[nawr]

noun

1. a Boolean operator that returns a positive result when both operands are negative.

nor-

³

1. a combining form used in the names of chemical compounds which are the normal or parent forms of the compound denoted by the base words.

   l-norepinephrine.

nor.

⁴

abbreviation

1. north.

2. northern.

Nor.

⁵

abbreviation

1. Norman.

2. North.

3. Northern.

4. Norway.

5. Norwegian.

nor

¹

/ nə, nɔː /

conjunction

1. (used to join alternatives) and not

   neither measles nor mumps

2. (and) not … either

   they weren't talented — nor were they particularly funny

3. dialect,  than

   better nor me

4. poetic,  neither

   nor wind nor rain

nor-

²

combining form

1. indicating that a chemical compound is derived from a specified compound by removal of a group or groups

   noradrenaline

2. indicating that a chemical compound is a normal isomer of a specified compound

Grammar Note

See neither.

Word History and Origins

Origin of nor¹

1300–50; Middle English, contraction of nother, Old English nōther, equivalent to ne not + ōther (contraction of ōhwæther ) either; or ¹

Origin of nor²

1955–60

Origin of nor³

Short for normal

Word History and Origins

Origin of nor¹

C13: contraction of Old English nōther, from nāhwæther _neither

Origin of nor²

by shortening from _normal

Idioms and Phrases

see hide nor hair; neither fish nor fowl; neither here nor there; rhyme or reason (neither rhyme nor reason).

Example Sentences

Neither Angela nor her neighbours deserve to be subjected to harassment and intimidation.

From BBC

Nor is it accessible to people of all races and religions.

From Slate

This includes German settlers like Schmitt’s ancestors, a group at one time considered nonwhite, but not the Black slaves who built much of the country and whose roots here largely predate his own, nor countless other ethnic groups who have made significant contributions to this nation.

From Slate

He did not entirely cave to Nixon’s demands; nor did he raise interest rates or bring the U.S.

From Slate

Solomon was neither making a moral judgment nor applying his own understanding of right and wrong.

From Slate