ormolu
or·mo·lu/ˈɔɹməˌlu/noun, adjective, verb
ormolu is spelled O-R-M-O-L-U: 6 letters and 3 syllables (or·mo·lu). It appears about once in every 18 million words in written English, the 128,787th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, ormolu means “Golden or gilded brass or bronze used for decorative purposes” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of ormolu is ormolus.
How many letters and syllables are in ormolu?
| Letters | 6: O-R-M-O-L-U |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: or·mo·lu |
| In writing | about once in every 18 million words; the 128,787th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is ormolu?
Ormolu appears about once in every 18 million words in written English, the 128,787th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce ormolu?
- UK /ˈɔː(ɹ)məˌluː/
- US /ˈɔɹməˌlu/
Ormolu has 3 syllables, split or·mo·lu in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-ormolu.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of ormolu
- ormolus plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- or-molu
- or-moulu
- ormulu
- ormoluing participle, present
- ormolued participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ormolu mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Golden or gilded brass or bronze used for decorative purposes.
adjective
- 1
Made from golden or gilded brass or bronze.
verb
- 1
To decorate with gilded ormolu articles.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does ormolu come from?
From French or moulu (literally “ground gold”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).