Hoard or Horde?

hoard [ hawrd ] (3rd person present singular hoards, present participle hoarding, past and past participle hoarded)
transitive and intransitive verb
Definition:
 
store a supply of something: to collect and store, often secretly, large amounts of things such as food or money for future use
[ Old English hord< Indo-European]

hoard noun
hoarder noun

Spelling Note

hoard or horde? Do not confuse the spelling of hoard and horde, which sound similar. Hoard is used as a verb meaning 'collect and store for future use' (as in to hoard money) or as a noun denoting such a collection (as in a hoard of valuables). Horde is chiefly used as a noun, denoting a large group of people or animals (as in hordes of visitors); it is only occasionally used as a verb, meaning 'gather, move, or live in a large group'.

Word Key: Synonyms

See collect1.

horde
horde [ hawrd ]
noun  (plural hordes)
Definition:
 
1. large crowd: a large group of people ( often used in the plural )

2. nomadic group: a group of nomads, especially of a people who live by hunting and foraging for food hunter-gatherers
3. swarm or pack: a large group of insects or other animals moving in a mass
intransitive verb  (3rd person present singular hordes, present participle hording, past and past participle horded)
Definition:
 
1. form or live in crowd: to gather together, move, or live in a large crowd or mass
2. live in group: to live together in a nomadic group
[Mid-16th century. Directly or via French and German< Polish horda< Turkish ordu 'camp, army']

Spelling Note

See hoard.
Encarta® World English Dictionary [World English Edition] © & (P)2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Developed for Microsoft by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. Sunday 12 Dec 2010 00:54