Sore: 1. (adjective) A popular term for painful. I have sore fingers from typing dictionary terms. She has a sore throat. 2. (noun) A nondescript term for nearly any lesion of the skin or mucous membranes. He has a number of sores in his mouth.

The word sore traces its origin to the Anglo-Saxon term sar which meant distressing, grievous, painful. (Sorry also comes from sar.)