See also: Sure, süre, sûre, and surə

EnglishEdit

Alternative formsEdit

EtymologyEdit

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.

PronunciationEdit

AdjectiveEdit

sure (comparative surer, superlative surest)

  1. Physically secure and certain, non-failing, reliable.
    This investment is a sure thing.   The bailiff had a sure grip on the prisoner's arm.
  2. 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.
    She is sure of herself.
    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.
  3. (followed by a to infinitive) Certain to act or be a specified way.
    Be sure to lock the door when you leave.
  4. (obsolete) Free from danger; safe; secure.
  5. (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.

SynonymsEdit

Derived termsEdit

Pages starting with “sure”.

DescendantsEdit

  • Irish: siúráil
  • Welsh: siwr

TranslationsEdit

AdverbEdit

sure (comparative more sure, superlative most sure)

  1. (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.
  2. (archaic) Without fail, surely.

Usage notesEdit

  • Often proscribed in favor of surely. May be informal.

InterjectionEdit

sure

  1. Yes, expressing noncommittal agreement or consent.
    "Do you want me to put this in the garage?" "Sure, go ahead."
  2. Yes; of course.
    "Could you tell me where the washrooms are?" "Sure, they're in the corner over there."
  3. You're welcome; polite response to being thanked.
    "Thanks for helping me with that electrical fault." "Sure. Any time."

SynonymsEdit

  • (noncommittal yes): OK, yes

TranslationsEdit

ReferencesEdit

  • 1996, T.F. Hoad, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Etymology, Oxford University Press, →ISBN

AnagramsEdit

DanishEdit

AdjectiveEdit

sure

  1. inflection of sur:
    1. definite singular
    2. plural

FinnishEdit

VerbEdit

sure

  1. present active indicative connegative of surra
  2. second-person singular present imperative of surra
  3. second-person singular present active imperative connegative of surra

AnagramsEdit

FrenchEdit

PronunciationEdit

AdjectiveEdit

sure

  1. feminine singular of sur

AdjectiveEdit

sure

  1. Alternative spelling of sûre

Further readingEdit

AnagramsEdit

ItalianEdit

PronunciationEdit

  • IPA(key): /ˈsu.re/
  • Rhymes: -ure
  • Syllabification: sù‧re

NounEdit

sure

  1. plural of sura

Middle EnglishEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Old French seür, from Latin sēcūrus. Doublet of siker.

Alternative formsEdit

PronunciationEdit

  • IPA(key): /sɛu̯r/, /siu̯r/, /suːr/

AdjectiveEdit

sure (comparative seurer)

  1. safe, protected (not dangerous or harmful)
  2. fortified, well-defended, protected; especially religiously
  3. sure, certain, confirmed
  4. sure-minded (certain of one's intent)
  5. reliable, of good quality
  6. sound, sturdy, hardy
Derived termsEdit
DescendantsEdit
ReferencesEdit

AdverbEdit

sure

  1. sure, surely, with no doubt or uncertainty
  2. entirely, wholly, fully
  3. While protecting something, with protection
  4. With a tight grasp or grip
DescendantsEdit
ReferencesEdit

Etymology 2Edit

VerbEdit

sure

  1. Alternative form of suren

Etymology 3Edit

NounEdit

sure

  1. Alternative form of sire

Norwegian BokmålEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Arabic سُورَة(sūra, chapter of the Qur'an).

Alternative formsEdit

NounEdit

sure m (definite singular suren, indefinite plural surer, definite plural surene)

  1. (Islam) a sura (any of the 114 chapters of the Qur'an)

Etymology 2Edit

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

AdjectiveEdit

sure

  1. definite singular of sur
  2. plural of sur

ReferencesEdit

AnagramsEdit

Norwegian NynorskEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Arabic سُورَة(sūra, chapter of the Qur'an).

Alternative formsEdit

NounEdit

sure m (definite singular suren, indefinite plural surar, definite plural surane)

  1. (Islam) a sura (any of the 114 chapters of the Qur'an)

Etymology 2Edit

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

AdjectiveEdit

sure

  1. definite singular of sur
  2. plural of sur

ReferencesEdit

AnagramsEdit

Old EnglishEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Germanic, related to sūr (sour).

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

sūre f

  1. sorrel

PaliEdit

Alternative formsEdit

NounEdit

sure

  1. vocative singular of surā (a class of liquor)

RomanianEdit

PronunciationEdit

AdjectiveEdit

sure

  1. inflection of sur:
    1. genitive/dative feminine singular
    2. nominative/accusative/genitive/dative feminine/neuter plural

SwedishEdit

AdjectiveEdit

sure

  1. absolute definite natural masculine singular of sur.

TurkishEdit

 
Turkish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia tr

EtymologyEdit

From Ottoman Turkish سوره(sure), from Arabic سُورَة(sūra).

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

sure (definite accusative sureyi, plural sureler)

  1. sura

DeclensionEdit

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