-ory

Origin

• From Middle English -orie, from Latin adjective suffix -tōrius.

American Heritage 2000|-ory

• From Latin noun suffix -tōrium

Webster 1913

Full definition of -ory

Suffix

1. of or pertaining to, serving for; adjective suffix appended to various words, often nouns but also verbs, to make an adjective form. Often added to words of Latin origin, but used with other words alsoexcrete and excretory, sense and sensory, statute and statutory.
2. that which pertains to, or serves for; noun suffix appended to various wordsambulatory, dormitory, factory

Synonyms

• -al
• -ar
• -ary
• -ese
• -ic
• -id
• -ish
• -like
• -oid
• -ous
• -y

Derived terms