-ary

UK/ə.ɹi/UK/ɹi/US/ɛɹ.i/

suffix

Of or pertaining to. Adjectival suffix appended to various words, often nouns, to produce an adjective form. Often added to words of Latin origin, but used with other words also.

“dictionary, plenipotentiary”

Similar
-al-ar-ese-ic-id-ish-like-oid
OriginMiddle English -arie →
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Meanings

suffix
  1. Of or pertaining to. Adjectival suffix appended to various words, often nouns, to produce an adjective form. Often added to words of Latin origin, but used with other words also.

    devolution + -ary → devolutionary

    Synonyms: -al, -ar, -ese, -ic, -id, -ish, -like, -oid

  2. Ending of some substantives borrowed or inherited from Latin and French.

    dictionary, plenipotentiary

  3. mathematicsHaving the specified arity.

    Synonyms: -adic

Synonyms & antonyms

suffixOf or pertaining to. Adjectival suffix appended to various words, often nouns, to produce an adjective form. Often added to words of Latin origin, but used with other words also.

Similar
-al-ar-ese-ic-id-ish-like-oid-ory-ous-y

suffixHaving the specified arity.

Similar
-adic
Also see
-adic-ar-ory

Origin

  1. Middle English-arie
  2. English-ary

Inherited from Middle English -arie, a back-formation from Latin and French-borrowed adjectives ending respectively in -ārius and -aire (more rarely from Latin adjectives in -āris: see exemplary and lapidary). Doublet of -ar, -eer, -ier, and -yer; see also the related -arian.

More words from Middle English

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic ـِيّ
  • ـِيّ (-iyy)of or pertaining to
Catalan -ari
  • -ariof or pertaining to
Finnish -aarinen
  • -aarinenhaving the specified arity
French -aire
  • -airehaving the specified arity
German -är
  • -ärhaving the specified arity
Hungarian -árius, -(bel)i, -s, -t/tt
  • -árius, -(bel)i, -s, -t/ttof or pertaining to
Italian -ario, -aria
  • -ariohaving the specified arity
  • -ariahaving the specified arity
  • -arioof or pertaining to
  • -ariaof or pertaining to
  • -aioof or pertaining to
  • -aiaof or pertaining to
Portuguese -ário, -ário
  • -áriohaving the specified arity
  • -árioof or pertaining to
Romanian -ar
  • -arhaving the specified arity
Swedish -är
  • -ärhaving the specified arity
Cite this entry
APA

-ary. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-ary

MLA

“-ary.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-ary. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “-ary,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-ary.

Source: -ary on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.