different between dory vs dork

English

Etymology 1

Attested in American English from 1709 C.E.; possibly derived from an indigenous language of the West Indies or Central America, perhaps Miskito.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?d???i/
• Rhymes: -???i

Noun

dory (plural dories)

1. (nautical) A small flat-bottomed boat with pointed or somewhat pointed ends, used for fishing both offshore and on rivers.

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English dorry, from Old French doree, past participle of dorer (“to gild”), from Latin deauratus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?d???i/
• Rhymes: -???i

Noun

dory (plural dories)

1. Any of several different families of large-eyed, silvery, deep-bodied, laterally compressed, and roughly discoid marine fish.

Translations

Adjective

dory (comparative more dory, superlative most dory)

1. (obsolete) Of a bright yellow or golden color.

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Ancient Greek ???? (dóru).

Pronunciation

Noun

dory (plural dories)

1. A wooden pike or spear about three metres (ten feet) in length with a flat, leaf-shaped iron spearhead and a bronze butt-spike (called a sauroter), which was the main weapon of hoplites in Ancient Greece. It was usually not thrown but rather thrust at opponents with one hand.
   • 2011 (republished 2014 as an e-book), Chris McNab, A History of the World in 100 Weapons, Oxford: Osprey Publishing, ?ISBN, page 37:

     The principal weapon of the hoplite was the dory spear. It was unusually long – it could measure up to 10ft (3m) in length, and weighed about 4.4lb (2kg). At one end was a broad, leaf-pattern spearhead, while at the other end was a metal spike called a sauroter. The purpose of the spike is much debated: it almost certainly acted as a counterbalance, making the spear easier to hold and wield; it could have been used as an improvised spear point, or for making downward attacks on the enemy's exposed feet; or it might even have been embedded in the ground to keep the spear in place.

Alternative forms

• doru

Further reading

• dory on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• dory (fish) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• dory (spear) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “dory”, in Online Etymology Dictionary

Anagrams

• dyor

English

Etymology 1

US 1960s, sense of "silly person" presumably from earlier use as bowdlerization of dick (“penis”) in student slang, particularly Midwest.

Alternative etymology derives from dialectal Norwegian dorg (“a mass; heap; a heavy, dimwitted, slovenly person”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /d??k/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /d??k/
• Rhymes: -??(?)k

Noun

dork (plural dorks)

1. (derogatory, slang) A quirky, silly and/or stupid, socially inept person, or one who is out of touch with contemporary trends. Often confused with nerd and geek, but does not imply the same level of intelligence. [from the 20th c.]
   • 1967, Don Moser and Jerry Cohen, The Pied Piper of Tucson:

     I didn’t have any clothes and I had short hair and looked like a dork. Girls wouldn’t go out with me.

2. (vulgar, slang) A penis. [from the 20th c.]

Usage notes

Narrowly used to indicate someone inept or out of touch, broadly used to mean simply “silly, foolish”; compare doofus, twit.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:dork
• See also Thesaurus:penis

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• dweeb

Etymology 2

Uncertain; apparently from Scots. See dirk.

Noun

dork (plural dorks)

1. (archaic) Alternative form of dirk (“a long dagger”)

References

Anagrams

• K-Rod