Etymology: < classical Latin -āris (stem -āri- ), suffix forming adjectives with the sense ‘of the kind of, belonging to,’ variant (with dissimilation) of -ālis -al suffix¹, used where l preceded, as in ālāris alar adj., regulāris regular adj., similāris similar adj., stellāris stellar adj., or (with word-initial l- ) lūnāris lunar adj., līneāris linear adj. or līneālis lineal adj.; and thus always used with diminutives in -ul- , -ell- , as globulāris globular adj., orbiculāris orbicular adj..The regular Old French descendant of -āris was -er , later -ier (see -ier suffix), as sanglier sanglier n. ( < classical Latin singulāris ), peuplier poplar n. ( < classical Latin populāris ); so familier , régulier ; but later words of literary formation took -aire as angulaire , militaire . In English those adopted from Old French originally had -er (see -er suffix²), but were subsequently assimilated to Latin with -ar , e.g. Latin scholāris , Old French escolier , Anglo-Norman escoler , Middle English scoler , now scholar n. Many words with this suffix have been adapted from Latin or French, or formed on Latin, in modern times; but some of these, through modern French use of -aire for both Latin -āris and -ārius , take -ary suffix², e.g. military adj. In Latin the neuter of adjectives in -āris , gave nouns in -āre , -ar , meaning ‘thing relating to,’ some of which have come into English, through French, as alter , coler , piler , now altar n., collar n., pillar n., or directly from Latin, as exemplar n. (cognate with sampler n.¹ through Old French).

Etymology: < classical Latin -ārius (masculine), -ārium (neuter) -ary suffix¹ (also represented by -er suffix²). Generally, words with this suffix show a remodelling or replacement of an earlier form in -er from Old French -ier , either after Latin (compare e.g. bursar n., medlar n., or mortar n.¹), or after a corresponding French form in -aire (compare e.g. vicar n. and vicary n.¹). The French forms in -aire also gave rise to Scottish forms such as notar n.¹, ordinar n., testamentar adj., etc. Compare -ary suffix².

Etymology: Partly (as a suffix forming agent nouns), a colloquial variant of -er suffix¹ or -or suffix, and partly (as a comparative suffix), a colloquial variant of -er suffix³.In modern English use probably imitating the remodelled scholar n., vicar n., pillar n. for earlier scoler , viker , piler : compare -ar suffix¹, -ar suffix².

Etymology: < -ar (in quasar n.).