ora

Ora is a short, polyvalent term that appears in languages, classical texts, and modern technology. It functions as a common noun in Romance languages, as a Latin term in ancient and liturgical contexts, and as an acronym in computing and other fields. Its senses vary by domain, but share a concern with time, form, and designation.

In Italian, ora means hour and is commonly used to mark time, as in che ora è? or l’ora legale (daylight saving time). In Romanian, ora also means hour and is used in time expressions such as ora 5 (at five o’clock). In both languages, ora is a straightforward temporal unit, with phrases that mirror the English concept of “time.”

In Latin, ora has several classical senses. It is the nominative plural of os, meaning mouths or faces, and can also refer to shores or edges in literary usage. The verb form ora is the second-person singular present imperative of orare, meaning “pray,” seen in phrases like ora pro nobis (pray for us).

In technology, ORA is recognized as a prefix in Oracle Database error messages (for example, ORA-XXXXX), signaling database-related problems. As an acronym, ORA can stand for various organizations or terms in different fields, depending on the context.

As a proper name, Ora is used in some languages for places and personal names. It appears as a toponym in multiple regions and as a given name or surname in certain cultures, reflecting its status as a short, versatile designation.

Overall, ora exemplifies how a small word can span timekeeping, language, classical literature, and modern technical terminology.