"-ory" meaning in English

See -ory in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Suffix

Etymology: From Middle English -orie, from the Latin adjective suffix -tōrius. By surface analysis, -or + -y. Etymology templates: {{inh|en|enm|-orie}} Middle English -orie, {{der|en|la|-}} Latin, {{surf|en|-or|-y}} By surface analysis, -or + -y Head templates: {{head|en|suffix|cat2=|cat3=|cat4=|head=|id=}} -ory, {{en-suffix}} -ory
  1. Added to nouns and verbs (often Latinate) to form adjectives meaning "of", "pertaining to", or "serving for". Tags: morpheme Synonyms: -ar, -ary, -ese, -ic, -id, -ish, -like, -oid, -ous, -y
    Sense id: en--ory-en-suffix-fq5Ih~Yq Categories (other): English links with redundant alt parameters, English links with redundant wikilinks, English entries with incorrect language header, English terms suffixed with -or, English terms suffixed with -y, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 53 47 Disambiguation of English terms suffixed with -or: 54 46 Disambiguation of English terms suffixed with -y: 54 46 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 47 53 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 50 50
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: -al
Etymology number: 1

Suffix

Etymology: From the Latin noun suffix -tōrium. By surface analysis, -or + -y. Etymology templates: {{der|en|la|-}} Latin, {{surf|en|-or|-y}} By surface analysis, -or + -y Head templates: {{head|en|suffix|cat2=|cat3=|cat4=|head=|id=}} -ory, {{en-suffix}} -ory
  1. Added to nouns and verbs (often Latinate) to form nouns meaning "that which pertains to or serves for". Tags: morpheme Synonyms: -age, -arium, -drome, -ery, -ium, -orium
    Sense id: en--ory-en-suffix-Va5QfeWi Categories (other): English links with redundant alt parameters, English links with redundant wikilinks, English entries with incorrect language header, English terms suffixed with -or, English terms suffixed with -y, Pages using catfix, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 53 47 Disambiguation of English terms suffixed with -or: 54 46 Disambiguation of English terms suffixed with -y: 54 46 Disambiguation of Pages using catfix: 31 69 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 47 53 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 50 50
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: -al
Etymology number: 2
{
  "etymology_number": 1,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "-orie"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English -orie",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "-or",
        "3": "-y"
      },
      "expansion": "By surface analysis, -or + -y",
      "name": "surf"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Middle English -orie, from the Latin adjective suffix -tōrius. By surface analysis, -or + -y.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "suffix",
        "cat2": "",
        "cat3": "",
        "cat4": "",
        "head": "",
        "id": ""
      },
      "expansion": "-ory",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "-ory",
      "name": "en-suffix"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "suffix",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English links with redundant alt parameters",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English links with redundant wikilinks",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "53 47",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "54 46",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms suffixed with -or",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "54 46",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms suffixed with -y",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "47 53",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "50 50",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "excrete + -ory → excretory",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "sense + -ory → sensory",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "statute + -ory → statutory",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Added to nouns and verbs (often Latinate) to form adjectives meaning \"of\", \"pertaining to\", or \"serving for\"."
      ],
      "id": "en--ory-en-suffix-fq5Ih~Yq",
      "links": [
        [
          "noun",
          "noun#English"
        ],
        [
          "verb",
          "verb#English"
        ],
        [
          "Latinate",
          "Latinate#English"
        ],
        [
          "adjective",
          "adjective#English"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "-ar"
        },
        {
          "word": "-ary"
        },
        {
          "word": "-ese"
        },
        {
          "word": "-ic"
        },
        {
          "word": "-id"
        },
        {
          "word": "-ish"
        },
        {
          "word": "-like"
        },
        {
          "word": "-oid"
        },
        {
          "word": "-ous"
        },
        {
          "word": "-y"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "50 50",
      "word": "-al"
    }
  ],
  "word": "-ory"
}

{
  "etymology_number": 2,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "-or",
        "3": "-y"
      },
      "expansion": "By surface analysis, -or + -y",
      "name": "surf"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From the Latin noun suffix -tōrium. By surface analysis, -or + -y.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "suffix",
        "cat2": "",
        "cat3": "",
        "cat4": "",
        "head": "",
        "id": ""
      },
      "expansion": "-ory",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "-ory",
      "name": "en-suffix"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "suffix",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English links with redundant alt parameters",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English links with redundant wikilinks",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "53 47",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "54 46",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms suffixed with -or",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "54 46",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms suffixed with -y",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "31 69",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages using catfix",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "47 53",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "50 50",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "ambulate + -ory → ambulatory",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "incense + -ory → incensory",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "interrogate + -ory → interrogatory",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Added to nouns and verbs (often Latinate) to form nouns meaning \"that which pertains to or serves for\"."
      ],
      "id": "en--ory-en-suffix-Va5QfeWi",
      "links": [
        [
          "noun",
          "noun#English"
        ],
        [
          "verb",
          "verb#English"
        ],
        [
          "Latinate",
          "Latinate#English"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "-age"
        },
        {
          "word": "-arium"
        },
        {
          "word": "-drome"
        },
        {
          "word": "-ery"
        },
        {
          "word": "-ium"
        },
        {
          "word": "-orium"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "50 50",
      "word": "-al"
    }
  ],
  "word": "-ory"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English suffixes",
    "English terms derived from Latin",
    "English terms derived from Middle English",
    "English terms inherited from Middle English",
    "English terms suffixed with -or",
    "English terms suffixed with -y",
    "Pages using catfix",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries"
  ],
  "etymology_number": 1,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "-orie"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English -orie",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "-or",
        "3": "-y"
      },
      "expansion": "By surface analysis, -or + -y",
      "name": "surf"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Middle English -orie, from the Latin adjective suffix -tōrius. By surface analysis, -or + -y.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "suffix",
        "cat2": "",
        "cat3": "",
        "cat4": "",
        "head": "",
        "id": ""
      },
      "expansion": "-ory",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "-ory",
      "name": "en-suffix"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "suffix",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English links with redundant alt parameters",
        "English links with redundant wikilinks"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "excrete + -ory → excretory",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "sense + -ory → sensory",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "statute + -ory → statutory",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Added to nouns and verbs (often Latinate) to form adjectives meaning \"of\", \"pertaining to\", or \"serving for\"."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "noun",
          "noun#English"
        ],
        [
          "verb",
          "verb#English"
        ],
        [
          "Latinate",
          "Latinate#English"
        ],
        [
          "adjective",
          "adjective#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "-al"
    },
    {
      "word": "-ar"
    },
    {
      "word": "-ary"
    },
    {
      "word": "-ese"
    },
    {
      "word": "-ic"
    },
    {
      "word": "-id"
    },
    {
      "word": "-ish"
    },
    {
      "word": "-like"
    },
    {
      "word": "-oid"
    },
    {
      "word": "-ous"
    },
    {
      "word": "-y"
    }
  ],
  "word": "-ory"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English suffixes",
    "English terms derived from Latin",
    "English terms suffixed with -or",
    "English terms suffixed with -y",
    "Pages using catfix",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries"
  ],
  "etymology_number": 2,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "-or",
        "3": "-y"
      },
      "expansion": "By surface analysis, -or + -y",
      "name": "surf"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From the Latin noun suffix -tōrium. By surface analysis, -or + -y.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "suffix",
        "cat2": "",
        "cat3": "",
        "cat4": "",
        "head": "",
        "id": ""
      },
      "expansion": "-ory",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "-ory",
      "name": "en-suffix"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "suffix",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English links with redundant alt parameters",
        "English links with redundant wikilinks"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "ambulate + -ory → ambulatory",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "incense + -ory → incensory",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "interrogate + -ory → interrogatory",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Added to nouns and verbs (often Latinate) to form nouns meaning \"that which pertains to or serves for\"."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "noun",
          "noun#English"
        ],
        [
          "verb",
          "verb#English"
        ],
        [
          "Latinate",
          "Latinate#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "-al"
    },
    {
      "word": "-age"
    },
    {
      "word": "-arium"
    },
    {
      "word": "-drome"
    },
    {
      "word": "-ery"
    },
    {
      "word": "-ium"
    },
    {
      "word": "-orium"
    }
  ],
  "word": "-ory"
}

Download raw JSONL data for -ory meaning in English (3.4kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-02-01 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-01-01 using wiktextract (f492ef9 and 9905b1f). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.