What does sora mean?
Sora is an exceptionally rare English noun denoting an old Indian unit of weight. One sora was equal to one hundredth of a moolla, making it a small denomination used in historical weight calculations. The word is generally presented in dictionaries as the plural of sor, itself a scarcely encountered singular form, and is most likely to be encountered in historical reference works rather than modern writing. Its appearance in older commercial or administrative records reflects the use of detailed indigenous units of measurement in South Asia. Today, sora has little or no independent use in ordinary English and is chiefly a historical form. It should also be distinguished from the Japanese word sora, meaning “sky,” which is a separate linguistic item with a quite different meaning and origin.
nounAn obsolete Indian unit of weight, equal to one hundredth of a moolla. The word is traditionally recorded as the plural of the rarer singular form sor.
- An obsolete Indian unit of weight, equal to one hundredth of a moolla.
"The merchant weighed the parcel in sora, each unit being one hundredth of a moolla."
"The price was entered as thirty sora for each bundle."
"Weights quoted in sora were converted to moolla before payment."
Sora is itself traditionally recorded as the irregular plural of sor; a further plural, soras, is possible only if the form is treated as an independently declined noun.
"The ledger listed the weights as several soras."
One sora was just one hundredth of a moolla—an Indian weight so small that even its plural is now chiefly a dictionary relic.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sora come from?
Sora is historically recorded as the plural of sor, an English borrowing from an Indian weight system. Its separate treatment in dictionaries reflects the older practice of recording irregular plurals as independent headwords. The unit was defined in relation to the moolla, with one sora equal to one hundredth of that larger weight.
How sora is actually used
This is an archaic and very rare form retained in historical English dictionaries. It should not be confused with the unrelated Japanese word sora, meaning “sky.”
Easily confused with sora
Sor is the singular form of the archaic Indian weight unit, while sora is its recorded plural.