Dour
/dʊər/noun
Stern, gloomy, or unfriendly in manner or appearance.
Did you know?The word 'dour' has roots in the Scottish dialect, where it originally described the bleakness of the landscape, reflecting a connection between environment and mood.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dʰu-
“to be hard, strong, or enduring.”
Old English
OE
durian
“hard, strong, or tough.”
Middle English
ME
dour
“harsh, stern, severe.”
16th Century
Scottish
dour
“gloomy or sullen in disposition.”
Modern English
English
dour
“retaining its sense of sternness and gloominess, now widely used.”