orc

plural orcs · alternative obsolete ork

1. archaicAny of several large, ferocious sea creatures, now especially the killer whale.First known use 16th c.

   The latter phenomenon is similar to the conceptual division seen in Ainu society between kimun-kamuy, the bear spirit of the mountains, and repun-kamuy, the orc or dolphin spirit of the sea.

   1992, Utagawa Hiroshi, “The ‘Sending-Back’ Rite in Ainu Culture”, in Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, volumes 19/2–3, page 265

plural orcs · alternative Orc · alternative ork

1. fantasyA mythical evil monstrous humanoid creature, usually quite aggressive and often green.First known use 17th c.

   There was a flash like flame and the helm burst asunder. The orc fell with cloven head.

   1954, JRR Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

   2 more examples

   Who at one stroke didst pare away three heads from off the shoulders of an Orke, begotten by an Incubus.

   1656, Samuel Holland, Don Zara del Fogo, I.1

   The chief exploit of the hero, Beowulf the Great, is the destruction of the two monsters Grendel and his mother; both like most of the evil beings in the old times, dwellers in the fens and the waters; and both, moreover, as some Christian bard has taken care to inform us, of "Cain's kin," as were also the eotens, and the elves, and the orcs (eótenas, and ylfe, and orcneas).

   1834, "The National Fairy Mythology of England" in Fraser's Magazine for Town and Country, Vol. 10, p. 53

2. derogatoryslangA Russian soldier or gangster.

   And now we must watch the old world go up in flames, in the mad spectacle of Putin’s orcs descending upon Kyiv to execute his macabre plan.

   2022 March 1, Bruno Maçães, “Europe’s Illusion of Peace Has Been Irrevocably Shattered”, in Time

   3 more examples

   Ukrainians themselves, including those on the right, preferred to call the events the 'Revolution of Dignity', depicted not in terms of ethnicity or class, but in simple civic black and white – a revolution of the people against Yanukovych's 'Mordor' and his 'Orcs'.

   2015, Andrew Wilson, The Ukrainians: Unexpected Nation, page 354

   Plenty of Belarusian exiles have gone to Europe, but if you run West, then the Orcs [a Ukrainian slang term for "Russian soldiers"] will just follow you there. It's better to risk your life as a free person than to keep running.

   2022 July 25, Michael Wasiura, “Belarusian Exiles Join Ukrainians in Taking Up Arms Against Russia”, in Newsweek, archived from the original on 17 Aug 2022, retrieved 25 Jul 2022

   Another messaged: “A week ago, the orcs [a Ukrainian term of abuse to describe Russian soldiers]^([sic]) came into people’s yards and dug up all the potatoes, onions, and garlic.

   2026 September 27, Peter Beaumont, Artem Mazhulin, “‘Hell on earth’: last residents eat weeds to survive in Russian-occupied Oleshky”, in The Guardian, →ISSN

3. InternetbroadlyethnicslurA Russian person.

1. abbreviationinitialismInitialism of Orange River Colony.
2. abbreviationacronymAcronym of Otago Regional Council.
3. abbreviationAbbreviation of Oregon City.

plural ORCs

1. abbreviationacronymcountableuncountableastronomyAcronym of odd radio circle, a very large unexplained astronomical object.First known use 2019

   Even those who never look into the night sky and wonder about stars or galaxies may find the new research interesting, Diamond-Stanic said, because ORCs help to explain how the galaxy we live in came to be.

   2024 January 12, Deirdre Stires, “Those odd circles in space? They’re now explained thanks to scientists including Aleks Diamond-Stanic”, in Bates News

2. abbreviationcountableinitialismuncountableInitialism of organized retail crime.
3. abbreviationcountableinitialismuncountablebiochemistryInitialism of origin recognition complex.

plural Orcs

1. alternativederogatoryslangfictionAlternative form of orc (monstrous warrior in fantasy; Russian soldier)