rancour

English

rancour (countable and uncountable, plural rancours) (Commonwealth spelling)

  1. Alternative spelling of rancor.
    • 1921, Ben Travers, chapter 4, in A Cuckoo in the Nest, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1925, →OCLC:
      By some paradoxical evolution rancour and intolerance have been established in the vanguard of primitive Christianity. Mrs. Spoker, in common with many of the stricter disciples of righteousness, was as inclement in demeanour as she was cadaverous in aspect.

Verb

rancour (third-person singular simple present rancours, present participle rancouring, simple past and past participle rancoured) (Commonwealth spelling)

  1. Alternative spelling of rancor.

Derived terms

Middle English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Old French rancor, from Latin rancor.

Pronunciation

Noun

rancour

  1. Jealousy, ire, towards someone; rancour (also as a metaphorical figure)
  2. (rare) Rancidity; something which smells vile.
  3. (rare) A belief that one is engaging in wrongdoing.

Descendants

  • English: rancour, rancor
  • Scots: rancour

References

Old French

Noun

rancour oblique singularf (oblique plural rancours, nominative singular rancour, nominative plural rancours)

  1. Late Anglo-Norman spelling of rancur
    il se douterent qe nous eussiens conceu vers eux rancour & indignacion