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hou·ri

(hrē, hrē)

n. pl. hou·ris

1. A seductive, alluring woman.

2. One of the beautiful virgins of the Koranic paradise.

[French, from Persian ḥūrī, from Arabic ḥūrīya, nymph, houri, from ḥūr, pl. of ḥawrā', feminine of 'aḥwar, possessing ḥawar, intense whiteness of the sclera contrasting with deep blackness of the iris of the eye; see ḥwr in the Appendix of Semitic roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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