bore
UK[bɔː]US[bɔːr]
v
To make someone feel tired and uninterested by being dull or repetitive.
v
To make a deep hole in something, especially with a revolving tool.
n
A person or thing that causes boredom.
n
The hollow inside of a tube, especially of a gun barrel; a hole drilled in something.
Etymology
The modern verb 'bore' represents the convergence of two distinct Old English lineages. The sense of 'making a hole' comes from the Old English 'borian', meaning to pierce or perforate, a verb of Germanic origin. The sense of 'causing weariness' originates from a different Old English verb, now obsolete, which influenced the figurative use of 'bore' to mean 'to weary by tedious repetition'. This figurative meaning, likening tedious talk to the persistent, grinding action of a drill, became established in the 18th century. The noun forms for both a dull person and a drilled hole naturally developed from these respective verbal actions.
Analysis
This word is a simplex form. Its two distinct sets of meanings derive from two separate Old English verbs that merged in form over time.
Examples
His long lecture about tax law began to bore the audience.
They had to bore through solid rock to lay the foundation pipes.
She's lovely, but her brother is an absolute bore who only talks about himself.