Yore means long ago, in the phrase about times past. Days of yore, in days of yore, the knights of yore.
It survives only in of yore, and it is deliberately archaic wherever it appears — nobody uses it without meaning to sound old-fashioned. The Old English word probably means of years, a genitive plural, which is why it always feels like a measure of distance in time.
1nounyoreLong ago, in the phrase of yore.
“In days of yore, knights rode out from this castle to fight.”
yore is a time long past.
Old English geara means long ago, probably a genitive plural meaning of years. Year is the same root.
Proto-Germanic
*jērǫ̂
Old English
ġeāra — long ago
Middle English
yore
English, today
yore
From Middle English yore, yoare, yare, ȝore, ȝare, ȝeare, from Old English ġeāra (“long ago”), of unknown origin but probably from Proto-Germanic jērǫ̂ literally “of years”, the genitive plural of Proto-Germanic jērą (“year”). More at year.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA