-ory
English
Etymology 1
From Middle English -orie, from the Latin adjective suffix -tōrius.[1] By surface analysis, -or + -y.
Suffix
-ory
- Added to nouns and verbs (often Latinate) to form adjectives meaning "of", "pertaining to", or "serving for".[1]
Synonyms
Etymology 2
From the Latin noun suffix -tōrium.[2] By surface analysis, -or + -y.
Suffix
-ory
- Added to nouns and verbs (often Latinate) to form nouns meaning "that which pertains to or serves for".[2]
- ambulate + -ory → ambulatory
- incense + -ory → incensory
- interrogate + -ory → interrogatory
Synonyms
Derived terms
English terms suffixed with -ory
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 “-ory”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 2000, →ISBN.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 “-ory”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.