释义 |
▪ I. -ory1 formerly -orie, a suffix forming ns., originating in ONorm.Fr. and AFr. -orie = Central Fr. -oire, as in glorie, gloire, which became the form for the adaptation of L. words in -ōria, and subseq. of those in -ōrium, as victoire, offertoire, oratoire, purgatoire; these also took in Eng. the form -orie, later -ory, which thus came to be the normal Eng. repr. of L. -ōria, -ōrium, F. -oire. The most numerous of these are adaptations of L. neuter ns. in -ōrium, from adjs. in -ōrius (see -ory2), or formations of the same type. Usually, these denote a place or instrument used in some process, as crematory, directory, dormitory, factory, laboratory, lavatory, observatory, oratory, purgatory, refectory, repository, stillatory, sudatory; but occasionally they have other senses, as auditory, promontory, territory. In some learned or technical words the L. form in -orium is retained; thus auditorium is differentiated from auditory, crematorium is more frequent than crematory. In a few words -ory is the suffix -y added to an agent-noun in -or, e.g. orator-y (the art of the orator), rector-y (the seat of a rector). ▪ II. -ory2 formerly -orie, a suffix forming adjs. (whence also ns.), originating in ONF. -ori, -orie, and repr. (sometimes through OF. -oir, -oire) L. -ōri-us, -a, -um, itself a compound suffix consisting of the adj. formative -i-us added to derivative ns. in -or (cf. sorōr sister, sorōr-i-us sisterly), chiefly agent-nouns in -tor, -sor (see -or), but sometimes app. from the cognate ppl. stem in -t-, -s-; e.g. accūsātōr-i-us, suāsōr-i-us, dēcrētōr-i-us. As an agent-n. in -or is possible from every L. vb., an adj. in L. -ōri-us, Eng. -ory is also always possible, and is often in Eng. use when no corresponding L. adj. is recorded, and even when no agent-n. occurs; thus, we have compulsory, dispensatory, illusory, persuasory, without the agent-nouns compulsor, etc., and amatory, hortatory, perfunctory, predatory, where the L. verb is not even represented in English. Instead of -ory, the Eng. adj. has often the extended form -orial, less frequently -orious. |