-our

See also: our and 'our

English

Suffix

-our

1. Obsolete spelling of -or

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old French -eor, from Latin -ātor; reinforced by Old French -or and its source, Latin -or, -ōrem.

Alternative forms

• -eor, -eur, -or, -ore, -orr, -oure, -owr, -owre, -ur, -ure

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /-ˈuːr/, /-ur/, /-ər/

Suffix

-our

1. Forms agent nouns from other nouns or verbs, usually of Romance origin.
2. (non-productive) Reflects a variety of other Old French deverbal formations.

Usage notes

• This suffix is sometimes confused with -er, especially in Late Middle English. For forms stemming from that confusion, see that entry.

Derived terms

Middle English terms suffixed with -our

Descendants

• English: -or (-er)
• Scots: -or (-er)

References

• “-ǒur, suf.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Etymology 2

Suffix

-our

1. Alternative form of -ure

Old French

Suffix

-our

1. (often late Anglo-Norman) Alternative form of -or (both etymologies)