ary
adjective
any; anyone.
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ary
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-ary
-arya 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.
ary
1 American
[air-ee]
/ ˈɛər i /
adjective
Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S.
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any; anyone.
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none, not any; nary.
-ary
2
American
-ary
British
suffix
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(forming adjectives) of; related to; belonging to
cautionary
rudimentary
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(forming nouns)
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a person connected with or engaged in
missionary
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a thing relating to; a place for
commentary
aviary
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Usage
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.
Etymology
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
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The government did not say how many Germany had requested to buy, but the VSB spokesman said the ary had said it would be possible to dispense with a limited number of tanks.
From Reuters • Mar. 3, 2023
Zotov exudes an innocent revolution ary zeal that clearly has no place in the cynical power structure of the Soviet world.
From Time Magazine Archive
Conrad did eventually find his liter ary place, but never the financial security to which he aspired.
From Time Magazine Archive
Also swept up in the swirling action is a servant who turns revolution ary and finds his new power as bitter as his old servitude.
From Time Magazine Archive
“You know good and well I wouldn’t ha’ believed ary prophecy.
From "Across Five Aprils" by Irene Hunt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
