adore Meaning, Definition & Usage

A*dore" transitive verb

Etymology

OE. aouren, anouren, adoren, OF. aorer, adorer, F. adorer, fr. L. adorare; ad + orare to speak, pray, os, oris, mouth. In OE. confused with honor, the French prefix a- being confused with OE. a, an, on. See Oral.

Wordforms

imperfect & past participle Adored Adoring

Definitions

1. To worship with profound reverence; to pay divine honors to; to honor as deity or as divine.

   Bishops and priests, . . . bearing the host, which he [James .] publicly adored. Smollett.

2. To love in the highest degree; to regard with the utmost esteem and affection; to idolize.

   The great mass of the population abhorred Popery and adored Montouth. Macaulay.

A*dore" transitive verb

Definitions

1. To adorn. Obs.

   Congealed little drops which do the morn adore. Spenser.