Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - ore

 I. noun  Usage: often attributive  Etymology: Middle English or, oor, partly from Old English ora ~; partly from Old English ar brass; akin to Old High German er bronze, Latin aes copper, bronze  Date: bef~ 12th century  1. a naturally occurring mineral containing a valuable constituent (as metal) for which it is mined and worked  2. a source from which valuable matter is extracted  II. noun  (plural ~)  Etymology: Swedish ore & Danish & Norwegian ore  Date: 1716 — see krona, krone at money table ORE  or ~g  abbreviation ~gon