Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

auriferous

/ɔːˈɹɪfəɹəs/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.23 in modern English

Syllables: au-rif-er-ous
IPA: /ɔːˈɹɪfəɹəs/

13

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

4

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Containing or producing gold; gold-bearing.

Example Sentences

"Rocks rich in gems, and mountains big with mines, / That on the high equator ridgy riſe, / Whence many a burſting ſtream auriferous plays: [...]"
"To these [compounds] belong native gold, alloys of gold and silver, and the argentiferous gold, or auriferous silver, obtained from the assayings of auriferous minerals and ores."
"In some places, however, quartz reefs, payably auriferous while in Silurian rock, have been followed down to subjacent granite, and have there been found to thin out and become unprofitable [...]"

Etymology

From Latin aurifer (“gold-bearing”) + the English suffix -ous. The Latin term in turn derived from aurum (“gold”) + ferō (“to carry”).

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Prefix: -ous
Root: *h₂ews-, aurifer

Regional Pronunciation

British English: /ɔːˈɹɪfəɹəs/

Inflected Forms

more auriferous (comparative) most auriferous (superlative)

Derived Forms

auriferously auriferousness nonauriferous

Phrases

non-auriferous -ferous

Frequently Paired Words

-ferous

Synonyms

gold-bearing

Rhymes With

carboniferous fossiliferous cruciferous seminiferous odoriferous splendiferous luminiferous metalliferous floriferous stoloniferous calciferous pestiferous

Questions

How do you pronounce auriferous?: The recorded pronunciation is /ɔːˈɹɪfəɹəs/.
What does auriferous mean?: Containing or producing gold; gold-bearing.
Where does auriferous come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce auriferous

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “auriferous”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ɔːˈɹɪfəɹəs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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