Dictionary

-ery en · X · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• /əɹi/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -āriusnom. Latin -ārius Old French -ier Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós Proto-Italic *-ijos Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ia Old French -ie Old French -eriebor. Middle English -erie English -ery From Middle English -erie, from Anglo-Norman -erie, which is from -ier + -ie; a suffix forming abstract nouns. The suffix first occurs in loans from Old French into Middle English, but becomes productive within English by the 16th century, in some instances properly a combination of the agent suffix -er with -y as in bakery, brewery, but also as a single suffix in terms like slavery, machinery (which are not derived from slaver or machiner). By surface analysis, -er + -y.

Meanings

1. (countable, morpheme, uncountable) Added to occupational etc. nouns to form other nouns meaning the "art, craft, or practice of."
   • cook + -ery → cookery
   • midwife + -ery → midwifery
2. (countable, morpheme, uncountable) Added to verbs to form nouns meaning "place of" (an art, craft, or practice).
   • bake + -ery → bakery
   • distill + -ery → distillery
   • join + -ery → joinery
3. (countable, morpheme, uncountable) Added to nouns to form other nouns meaning "a class, group, or collection of."
   • hose + -ery → hosiery
   • shrub + -ery → shrubbery
   • crock + -ery → crockery
4. (countable, morpheme, uncountable) Added to nouns to form other nouns meaning "behavior characteristic of."
   • snob + -ery → snobbery
   • tomfool + -ery → tomfoolery

Forms

Synonyms

-age (collection) · -ing (place of) · -ing (collection)

Translations (46)

hu -ség (art, craft or practice) · pt -aria (place of art, craft or practice) · hu -ös (class or group, collection of) · eo -ejo (place of art, craft or practice) · ia -eria (place of art, craft or practice) · eo -aro (class or group, collection of) · ia -eria (class or group, collection of) · hu -és (art, craft or practice) · enm -erie (place of art, craft or practice) · lt -ykla (place of art, craft or practice) · hu -ség (organisation or movement) · ro -ărie (class or group, collection of) · ro -ărie (place of art, craft or practice) · pl -eria (organisation or movement) · hu -ás (art, craft or practice) · hu -ség (place of art, craft or practice) · hu -ség (characteristic of) · hu -es (class or group, collection of) · enm -erie (art, craft or practice) · pl -eria (characteristic of) · ia -eria (art, craft or practice) · pl -eria (art, craft or practice) · hu -ság (art, craft or practice) · pl -nia (place of art, craft or practice) · hu -észet (art, craft or practice) · nb -ri (place of art, craft or practice) · enm -erie (class or group, collection of) · hu -ság (organisation or movement) · es -ería (place of art, craft or practice) · fi -mo (place of art, craft or practice) · hu -da (place of art, craft or practice) · hu -ászat (art, craft or practice) · fr -erie (class or group, collection of) · hu -ság (place of art, craft or practice) · eo -eco (characteristic of) · hu -de (place of art, craft or practice) · hu -as (class or group, collection of) · pl -eria (class or group, collection of) · it -eria (place of art, craft or practice) · hu -áru (class or group, collection of) · hu -ság (characteristic of) · hu -os (class or group, collection of) · fr -erie (place of art, craft or practice) · ca -eria (place of art, craft or practice) · hu -s (class or group, collection of) · pt -agem (characteristic of)

-ery en · X · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• /əɹi/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Alteration of -y.

Meanings

1. (morpheme, rare) Forming adjectives.
   • My neighbors’ children play with me. / They come for me to ease their woes, / Bleedery stumpings of the toes, / Splinters in fingers, at whose base / Angels have left their kissery trace; / Skinned elbows and such bruisery rings, / Or bumpery dots from wood bees’ stings. 1917, The Christian Advocate, volume XCII, New York, N.Y., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 559, column 1:

Forms