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orc
orc in fantasy literature and games, a member of an imaginary race of human-like creatures, characterized as ugly, warlike, and malevolent. The word (denoting an ogre) is recorded from the late 16th century, perhaps from Latin orcus ‘hell’ or Italian orco ‘demon, monster’, influenced by obsolete orc ‘ferocious sea creature’ and by Old English orcneas ‘monsters’. The current sense is due to the use of the word in Tolkien's fantasy adventures. See also ogre.
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "orc." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "orc." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-orc.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "orc." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-orc.html |
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Orc
Orc,
1. a mythical sea-monster mentioned by Ariosto, Drayton, Milton, and others, from the Latin ‘orca’, a kind of whale; 2. in the Prophetic Books of Blake, the symbol of rebellion and anarchy, the son of Los and Enitharmon, who is chained, like Prometheus, to a rock in The Book of Urizen, and who bursts his bonds in America: A Prophecy to fight and defeat Albion's Angel; 3. in the personal mythology of J. R. R. Tolkien, Orcs are the evil and hideous creations of the rebellious Vala, Melkor. |
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MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Orc." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Orc." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-Orc.html MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Orc." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-Orc.html |
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orc
orc †ferocious (sea-)monster; cetacean of the genus Orca. XVI. — F. orque or L. orca kind of whale — Gr. óruga, acc. of órux ORYX.
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T. F. HOAD. "orc." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "orc." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-orc.html T. F. HOAD. "orc." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-orc.html |
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orc
orc •auk, baulk, Bork, caulk (US calk), chalk, cork, dork, Dundalk, Falk, fork, gawk, hawk, Hawke, nork, orc, outwalk, pork, squawk, stalk, stork, talk, torc, torque, walk, york
•pitchfork • nighthawk • goshawk
•mohawk • sparrowhawk • tomahawk
•back talk • peptalk • beanstalk
•sweet-talk • crosstalk • small talk
•smooth-talk • catwalk • jaywalk
•cakewalk • space walk
•sheep walk, sleepwalk
•skywalk • sidewalk • crosswalk
•boardwalk • rope-walk
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"orc." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "orc." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-orc.html "orc." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-orc.html |
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ORC
ORC (USA) Officers' Reserve Corps
• Overseas Research Council |
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Cite this article
FRAN ALEXANDER , PETER BLAIR , JOHN DAINTITH , ALICE GRANDISON , VALERIE ILLINGWORTH , ELIZABETH MARTIN , ANNE STIBBS , JUDY PEARSALL , and SARA TULLOCH. "ORC." The Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. FRAN ALEXANDER , PETER BLAIR , JOHN DAINTITH , ALICE GRANDISON , VALERIE ILLINGWORTH , ELIZABETH MARTIN , ANNE STIBBS , JUDY PEARSALL , and SARA TULLOCH. "ORC." The Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O25-ORC.html FRAN ALEXANDER , PETER BLAIR , JOHN DAINTITH , ALICE GRANDISON , VALERIE ILLINGWORTH , ELIZABETH MARTIN , ANNE STIBBS , JUDY PEARSALL , and SARA TULLOCH. "ORC." The Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations. 1998. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O25-ORC.html |
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