our
UK[ɑː(r)]US[aʊər]
det
Belonging to or associated with the speaker and one or more other people previously mentioned or easily identified.
det
Used in formal contexts by a royal person or a writer to refer to something belonging to or associated with themselves.
Etymology
The word 'our' originates from the Old English 'ūre', which was the genitive plural form of the first-person pronoun 'wē' (meaning 'we'). This Old English form is derived from the Proto-Germanic 'unsaraz', which itself evolved from the Proto-Indo-European 'nes-', a root denoting 'us' or 'we'. The semantic journey is direct, from a plural possessive pronoun in ancient languages to its modern function indicating possession by a group that includes the speaker. Its spelling and pronunciation have simplified over time from 'ūre' to the monosyllabic 'our'.
Analysis
The word 'our' is a simplex possessive determiner of Old English origin. It is not productively formed from smaller, independent morphemes in Modern English.
Examples
We left our bags at the station.
Our team is working on the project.
The decision is ultimately our responsibility.