sore
n.n. feeling painful or uncomfortable, usually because of an injury, infection, or too much exercise. You might feel this way in your muscles after a long run.
n. causing or suffering from physical pain or tenderness. Often used to describe localized inflammation or muscle fatigue following physical exertion.
My legs are very sore after yesterday's long hike.
He had a sore throat and a slight fever, so he decided to stay home from work.
The athlete's muscles remained incredibly sore for several days, a condition often referred to as delayed onset muscle soreness resulting from microscopic tears in the fiber.
From Middle English sor, from Old English sār (“ache, wound”, noun) and sār (“painful, grievous”, adjective), from Proto-West Germanic sair, from Proto-Germanic sairaz (adjective) from Proto-Indo-European sh₂eyro-, enlargement of sh₂ey- (“to be fierce, afflict”). See also Dutch zeer (“sore, ache”), Danish sår (“wound”), German sehr (“very”); also Hittite [script needed] (sāwar, “anger”), Welsh hoed (“pain”), Ancient Greek αἱμωδία (haimōdía, “sensation of having teeth on edge”).
From Middle English sor (“sorrel”), from Old French sor (“sorrel; reddish”). Compare French saur (“(archaic) reddish-brown; describing a young bird of prey”).
Commonly used with parts of the body (sore throat, sore muscles) or with the verb 'to be'.
I have a sore in my armMy arm is soreLearners often use 'sore' as a noun to mean general pain, but it is primarily an adjective; the noun 'sore' refers specifically to a skin lesion or ulcer.