ary

¹

[air-ee]

adjective

Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S.

1. any; anyone.

2. none, not any; nary.

-ary

²

1. a suffix occurring originally in loanwords from Classical and Medieval Latin, on adjectives (elementary; honorary; stationary; tributary ), personal nouns (actuary; notary; secretary ), or nouns denoting objects, especially receptacles or places (library; rosary; glossary ). The suffix has the general sense “pertaining to, connected with” the referent named by the base; it is productive in English, sometimes with the additional senses “contributing to,” “for the purpose of,” and usually forming adjectives.

   complimentary; visionary; revolutionary; inflationary.

-ary

suffix

1. (forming adjectives) of; related to; belonging to

   cautionary

   rudimentary

2. (forming nouns)

   1. a person connected with or engaged in

      missionary

   2. a thing relating to; a place for

      commentary

      aviary

Word History and Origins

Origin of ary¹

First recorded in 1810–20; alteration of e'er a ever a, in sense “any”

Origin of ary²

Middle English -arie, from Latin -ārius, -a, -um; English personal nouns reflect -ārius, while objects and places reflect -ārium or -āria. Inherited and adopted French forms of this suffix are -er ², -eer, -ier ², -aire; -er ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of ary¹

from Latin -ārius, -āria, -ārium

Example Sentences

Stoppard, when asked in a documentary what “Brazil” signifies as the title of the film, beyond the presence of the Ary Barroso song on its soundtrack in many varied arrangements as a leitmotif, said its theme was “the myth of a free man in an unfree society.”

From Los Angeles Times

His brother-in-law Ary Freilich said that Mr. Lieberman’s fall occurred at his home in the Riverdale section of the Bronx and that he died at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in Upper Manhattan.

From New York Times

“This is unbelievable, it really is,” midfielder Ary Borges said on social media.

From Seattle Times

He died in a hospital near his Space Coast Florida home, said Max Ary, director of the Stafford Air & Space Museum in Weatherford, Oklahoma.

From Seattle Times

“Tom was involved in so many things that most people were not aware of, such as being known as the ‘Father of Stealth’,” Ary said in an email.

From Seattle Times

When To Use

What does -ary mean?

The combining form -ary is a suffix with a variety of meanings. In some words, it is used to denote an object, particularly a receptacle or place. In some other terms, it is used to mean "pertaining to; connected with." Additionally, in some English terms it means "contributing to" or "for the purpose of." It is often used in everyday and technical terms.The form -ary comes from the Latin -ārius and -ārium, meaning “thing connected with or employed in, place for." By way of French, English has inherited numerous suffixes with similar meanings to that of -ary, including -aire, as in millionaire; -eer, as in engineer; -er, as in archer; or -ier, as in financier. Check out all four entries to learn more.