horde

Etymology

Recorded in English since 1555. From Middle French horde, from German Horde, from Polish horda, from Russian орда (orda, “horde", 'clan, troop'”), which may come directly from Mongolian or from West Turkic (compare Tatar урда (urda, “horde”), Turkish ordu (“camp, army”), from Mongolian орду (ordu, “court, camp, horde”); akin to Kalmyk орда (orda), from Proto-Turkic *or- (“army, place of staying of the army, ruler etc.”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: hôd, IPA^(key): /hɔːd/
• (General American) enPR: hôrd, IPA^(key): /hɔɹd/
• (rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger) enPR: hōrd, IPA^(key): /ho(ː)ɹd/
• (non-rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger) IPA^(key): /hoəd/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)d
• Homophones: hoard, whored

Noun

horde (plural hordes)

1. A wandering troop or gang; especially, a clan or tribe of a nomadic people (originally Tatars) migrating from place to place for the sake of pasturage, plunder, etc.; a predatory multitude.
2. A large number of people.

   We were beset by a horde of street vendors who thought we were tourists and would buy their cheap souvenirs.

   • 1907, Jack London, Before Adam, page Chapter IV

     It is true, the more progressive members of our horde lived in the caves above the river.

Verb

horde (third-person singular simple present hordes, present participle hording, simple past and past participle horded)

1. to travel en masse, to flock

Usage notes

• Sometimes confused with hoard.

Anagrams

• Herod, Rhode, Rohde

Etymology

From German Horde.

Noun

horde c (singular definite horden, plural indefinite horder)

1. horde

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Etymology 1

Etymology 2

References

• M. J. Koenen & J. Endepols, Verklarend Handwoordenboek der Nederlandse Taal (tevens Vreemde-woordentolk), Groningen, Wolters-Noordhoff, 1969 (26th edition) [Dutch dictionary in Dutch]

Noun

horde f (plural hordes)

1. A horde

Further reading

• “horde” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Etymology

From German Horde

Noun

horde m (definite singular horden, indefinite plural horder, definite plural hordene)

1. a horde

References

• “horde” in The Bokmål Dictionary.