ours

• our's (obsolete)

From Middle English oures, attested since the 1300s. Equivalent to our +‎ -s (compare -'s); formed by analogy to his. Displaced ourn (from Middle English ouren) in standard speech.^[1]

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈaʊəz/, /ɑːz/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈaʊəɹz/, /ɑɹz/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aʊə(ɹ)z, -ɑː(ɹ)z
• Homophone: hours

ours (plural ours)

1. That or those belonging to us; the possessive case of we, used without a following noun.

   You can't take that! It's ours!

   Could we ask you to move, please. These seats are ours.

   Ours looks much nicer than theirs.

   This beach is a favourite of ours. (double possessive)

2. (informal) Our house or home.

   You can stay the night at ours if you like.

• Ruso, sour

Inherited from Middle French ours, from Old French urs, from Latin ursus, from Proto-Italic *orssos.

The Early Modern French pronunciation was /uʁ/ before consonants, /uʁz/ before vowels, and /uʁs/ in pausa. For the most part, the pausal pronunciations were eventually lost, but in some cases they were re-established as the basic form (reinforced in part by the spelling, in part by related words; in this case perhaps the feminine ourse).

• IPA^(key): /uʁs/ (standard)
• IPA^(key): /uʁ/ (archaic pronunciation, either for both numbers or only for the plural)

• Audio:

  (file)

• Homophones: ourse, ourses

ours m (plural ours, feminine ourse)

1. bear
2. (figurative) A person like a bear:
   1. loner, someone who avoids company

      faire l’ours ― to be a loner

      • 2024 May 25, “Couples Erasmus”, in Libération, →ISSN, page 5:

        Globalement, on trouvait que les Danois étaient un peu ours : ils disaient à peine bonjour quand on les croisait dans la résidence universitaire.

        (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   2. beast, beastly person
   3. (gay slang) bear (hairy gay man)
   4. (obsolete) pressman, worker with a hand printing press
3. masthead, imprint (list of a publication's main staff)
4. (cinematography) rough cut
5. (slang) prison, jail

• Haitian Creole: ous
• Louisiana Creole: lours, lous
• Mauritian Creole: lours, lurs
• Seychellois Creole: lours

• “ours”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.
• “ours” in Dico en ligne Le Robert.

ours

1. Alternative form of oures

Inherited from Old French urs, from Latin ursus, from Proto-Italic *orssos.

ours m (plural ours, feminine singular ourse, feminine plural ourses)

1. bear

• French: ours