English Alternative forms hower, houre, howre (obsolete) Etymology From Middle English houre, hour, oure, from Anglo-Norman houre, from Old French houre, (h)ore, from Latin hĆra (âhourâ), from Ancient Greek ᜄÏα (háčra, âany time or period, whether of the year, month, or dayâ), from Proto-Indo-European *yehâ- (âyear, seasonâ). Akin to Old English ÄĄÄar (âyearâ). Doublet of hora. Displaced native Middle English stunde, stound (âhour, moment, stoundâ) (from Old English stund (âhour, time, momentâ)), Middle English Èetid, tid (âhour, timeâ) from Old English *ÄĄetÄ«d, compare Old Saxon getÄ«d (âhour, timeâ). Noun (plural hours) A time period of sixty minutes; one twenty-fourth of a day. spent