-ary
suffixUK /ə.ɹi/ · US /ə.ɹi/
Etymology 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.
1
Morpheme 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
2
Morpheme Ending of some substantives borrowed or inherited from Latin and French.
- dictionary, plenipotentiary
3
Mathematics, Sciences Morpheme Having the specified arity.