sure
English edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
From Middle English sure, seur, sur, from Middle French sur or Old French seür, from Latin sēcūrus (“secure”, literally “carefree”), from sē- (“apart”) + cūra (“care”) (compare Old English orsorg (“carefree”), from or- (“without”) + sorg (“care”)). See cure. Doublet of secure and the now obsolete or dialectal sicker (“certain, safe”).
Displaced native Middle English wis, iwis (“certain, sure”) (from Old English ġewis, ġewiss (“certain, sure”)), Middle English siker (“sure, secure”) (from Old English sicor (“secure, sure”)) with which was cognate.
This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.
Pronunciation edit
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ʃʊə/, /ʃɔː/, /ʃɜː/
Audio (Swiss) (file)
- (General Australian, New Zealand) IPA(key): /ʃoː/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ʃʊɹ/, /ʃɔɹ/, /ʃɝ/
- (Canada) IPA(key): /ʃɔɹ/, /ʃɝ/
- (NYC) IPA(key): /ʃuɚ/
- (non-rhotic, show-sure merger, AAVE) IPA(key): /ʃoʊ/
- (obsolete) IPA(key): /sjʊəɹ/, /sjuːɹ/, /sɪʊ̯ɹ/
- Rhymes: -ʊə(ɹ), -ɔː(ɹ)
- Homophone: shore (with the cure-force merger)
- Homophones: shaw, Shaw (in non-rhotic dialects with the paw-poor merger)
- Homophone: show (in non-rhotic dialects with the show-sure merger)
Adjective edit
sure (comparative surer, superlative surest)
- Physically secure and certain, non-failing, reliable.
- This investment is a sure thing. The bailiff had a sure grip on the prisoner's arm.
- Certain in one's knowledge or belief.
- 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter IV, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC, page 58:
- The Celebrity, by arts unknown, induced Mrs. Judge Short and two other ladies to call at Mohair on a certain afternoon when Mr. Cooke was trying a trotter on the track. The three returned wondering and charmed with Mrs. Cooke; they were sure she had had no hand in the furnishing of that atrocious house.
- 2008 November 21, Graham Linehan, The IT Crowd, Season 3, Episode 1:
- Roy: I'm 95% sure it was him.
Jen: You... you said you were 99% sure.
Roy: I'm 97% sure it was him.
- Roy: I'm 95% sure it was him.
- He is sure she was lying.
- He was sure of being a finalist.
- They aren't completely sure who will attend.
- You seemed sure that the car was his.
- (followed by a to infinitive) Certain to act or be a specified way.
- Be sure to lock the door when you leave.
- (obsolete) Free from danger; safe; secure.
- c. 1590–1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i], page 36, column 1:
- Feare not: the Forreſt is not three leagues off, / If we recouer that, we are ſure enough.
- (obsolete) Betrothed; engaged to marry.
- c. 1513-1518 (probably date written, published after 1535) Thomas More, History of King Richard III
- The king was sure to Dame Elizabeth Lucy, and her husband before God.
- 1632, Richard Brome, The Northern Lass:
- I presum'd […] [that] you had been sure, as fast as faith could bind you, man and wife.
- c. 1513-1518 (probably date written, published after 1535) Thomas More, History of King Richard III
Synonyms edit
- (secure and steadfast): certain, failsafe, reliable, sicker
- (steadfast in one's knowledge or belief): certain, positive, wis
Derived terms edit
- as sure as eggs are eggs
- as sure as eggs is eggs
- cock-sure
- for sure
- I'm sure
- make sure
- self-sure
- slow but sure wins the race
- sure as a gun
- sure as death
- sure as death and taxes
- sure as eggs
- sure as eggs are eggs
- sure as eggs is eggs
- sure as fate
- sure as hell
- sure as shit
- sure as shooting
- sure as sugar
- sure as taxes
- sure as the world
- sure bet
- sure-enough
- sure enough
- sure-fire
- sure-footed
- sure-footedness
- sure hand at the tiller
- sure-handed
- sure-handedly
- sure-handedness
- sure hand on the tiller
- surely
- sure of oneself
- sure thing
- sure up
- to be sure
Descendants edit
Translations edit
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Adverb edit
sure (comparative more sure, superlative most sure)
- (modal adverb) Without doubt, certainly.
- Sure he's coming! Why wouldn't he?
- "Did you kill that bear yourself?" ―"I sure did!"
- 1802, Charles Lamb, John Woodvil:
- These high and gusty relishes of life, sure,
Have no allayings of mortality in them.
- (archaic) Without fail, surely.
- c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire, London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act II, scene iii:
- Theſe are the wings ſhall make it flie as ſwift,
As dooth the lightening: or the breath of heauen,
And kill as ſure as it ſwiftly flies.
Usage notes edit
- Often proscribed in favor of surely. May be informal.
Interjection edit
sure
- Yes, expressing noncommittal agreement or consent.
- "Do you want me to put this in the garage?" "Sure, go ahead."
- Yes; of course.
- "Could you tell me where the washrooms are?" "Sure, they're in the corner over there."
- You're welcome; polite response to being thanked.
- "Thanks for helping me with that electrical fault." "Sure. Any time."
Synonyms edit
Translations edit
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References edit
- 1996, T.F. Hoad, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Etymology, Oxford University Press, →ISBN
Anagrams edit
Danish edit
Adjective edit
sure
Finnish edit
Verb edit
sure
- inflection of surra:
Anagrams edit
French edit
Pronunciation edit
- Rhymes: -yʁ
Adjective edit
sure
Adjective edit
sure
- Alternative spelling of sûre
Further reading edit
- “sure”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Anagrams edit
Italian edit
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
sure
Middle English edit
Etymology 1 edit
From Old French seür, from Latin sēcūrus. Doublet of siker.
Alternative forms edit
Pronunciation edit
Adjective edit
sure (comparative seurer)
- safe, protected (not dangerous or harmful)
- fortified, well-defended, protected; especially religiously
- sure, certain, confirmed
- sure-minded (certain of one's intent)
- reliable, of good quality
- sound, sturdy, hardy
Derived terms edit
Descendants edit
References edit
- “seur, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-21.
Adverb edit
sure
- sure, surely, with no doubt or uncertainty
- entirely, wholly, fully
- While protecting something, with protection
- With a tight grasp or grip
Descendants edit
References edit
- “seur, adv.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-21.
Etymology 2 edit
Verb edit
sure
- Alternative form of suren
Etymology 3 edit
Noun edit
sure
- Alternative form of sire
Norwegian Bokmål edit
Etymology 1 edit
From Arabic سُورَة (sūra, “chapter of the Qur'an”).
Alternative forms edit
Noun edit
sure m (definite singular suren, indefinite plural surer, definite plural surene)
Etymology 2 edit
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Adjective edit
sure
References edit
Anagrams edit
Norwegian Nynorsk edit
Etymology 1 edit
From Arabic سُورَة (sūra, “chapter of the Qur'an”).
Alternative forms edit
Noun edit
sure m (definite singular suren, indefinite plural surar, definite plural surane)
Etymology 2 edit
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Adjective edit
sure
References edit
- “sure” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Anagrams edit
Old English edit
Etymology edit
From Germanic, related to sūr (“sour”).
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
sūre f
Descendants edit
Pali edit
Alternative forms edit
Noun edit
sure
Romanian edit
Pronunciation edit
Adjective edit
sure
Swedish edit
Adjective edit
sure
Turkish edit
Etymology edit
From Ottoman Turkish سوره (sure), from Arabic سُورَة (sūra).
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
sure (definite accusative sureyi, plural sureler)
Declension edit
Inflection | ||
---|---|---|
Nominative | sure | |
Definite accusative | sureyi | |
Singular | Plural | |
Nominative | sure | sureler |
Definite accusative | sureyi | sureleri |
Dative | sureye | surelere |
Locative | surede | surelerde |
Ablative | sureden | surelerden |
Genitive | surenin | surelerin |