-ery

See also: ery and e'ry

English

Alternative forms

• -erie (“place”) (otherwise obsolete)
• -ry

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əɹi/

Suffix

-ery

1. Added to occupational etc. nouns to form other nouns meaning the "art, craft, or practice of."

   ‎midwife + ‎-ery → ‎midwifery

   ‎cook + ‎-ery → ‎cookery

2. Added to verbs to form nouns meaning "place of" (an art, craft, or practice).

   ‎bake + ‎-ery → ‎bakery

   ‎distill + ‎-ery → ‎distillery

   ‎join + ‎-ery → ‎joinery

3. Added to nouns to form other nouns meaning "a class, group, or collection of."

   ‎crock + ‎-ery → ‎crockery

   ‎hose + ‎-ery → ‎hosiery

   ‎shrub + ‎-ery → ‎shrubbery

4. Added to nouns to form other nouns meaning "behavior characteristic of."

   ‎snob + ‎-ery → ‎snobbery

   ‎tomfool + ‎-ery → ‎tomfoolery

Synonyms

• (place of): -ing (activity)
• (collection): -age, -ing

Derived terms

English terms suffixed with -ery

Translations

art, craft or practice

• Hungarian: -ászat/-észet, -ság (hu)/-ség (hu), -ás (hu)/-és (hu)
• Interlingua: -eria
• Middle English: -erie

place of art, craft or practice

• Catalan: -eria (ca) f
• Esperanto: -ejo (eo)
• French: -erie (fr)
• Hungarian: -da (hu)/-de (hu), -ság (hu)/-ség (hu)
• Interlingua: -eria
• Italian: -eria (it) f
• Lithuanian: -ykla f
• Middle English: -erie
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: -ri

• Polish: -nia (pl) f
• Portuguese: -aria (pt) f
• Romanian: -ărie (ro) f
• Spanish: -ería (es) f

organisation or movement

• Hungarian: -ság (hu)/-ség (hu)

class or group, collection of

• Esperanto: -aro (eo)
• Hungarian: -s (hu), -os (hu), -as (hu), -es (hu), -ös (hu), -áru (hu)
• Interlingua: -eria
• Middle English: -erie
• Polish: -eria f
• Romanian: -ărie (ro) f

characteristic of

• Esperanto: -eco (eo)
• Hungarian: -ság (hu)/-ség (hu), -askodás/-eskedés/-ösködés/-skodás/-skedés/-sködés
• Polish: -eria f

See also

• Category:English terms suffixed with -ry

Anagrams

• -yer, Rey, Rye, Yer, eyr, rye, yer, yre