pore

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
pore1

▶noun a minute opening in the skin or other surface through which gases, liquids, or microscopic particles may pass.

– origin ME: from OFr., via L. from Gk poros ‘passage, pore’.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
pore2

▶verb

• 1 (pore over/through) be absorbed in the reading or study of.

• 2 (pore on/over) archaic ponder.

– origin ME: perh. rel. to peer1.

usage: People often confuse the verbs pore and pour. Pore is used with over or through and means ‘be absorbed in the reading of’ (I spent hours poring over cookery books), while pour means ‘flow or cause to flow in a steady stream’ (water poured off the stones; pour the tea).