*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of -ure

Inherited from Middle English -ure, borrowed from Old French -ure, from Latin -(ā)tūram.

2 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
suffix

A process; a condition; a result of an action. · An official entity or function.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Inherited from Middle English -ure, borrowed from Old French -ure, from Latin -(ā)tūram.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:-ure<id:action noun>",
        "id": "action noun",
        "text": "3"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"alt\" : \"-(ā)tūram\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"alt\" : \"*-tew-\", \"is_uncertain\" : true, \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-tus\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" }, { \"alt\" : \"*-r-eh₂\", \"is_uncertain\" : true, \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-rós\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"-tūra\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old French\", \"term\" : \"-ure\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"fro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"-ure\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-ure\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"action noun\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"-ure\" id=\"English:_action_noun\">\nInherited from Middle English -ure, borrowed from Old French -ure, from Latin -(ā)tūram."
    },
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        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:-ure<id:action noun>",
        "id": "action noun",
        "text": "3"
      },
      "expansion": "Inherited from Middle English -ure, borrowed from Old French -ure, from Latin -(ā)tūram."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "-ure",
      "-ure#Middle_English:_action_noun"
    ],
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      "-ure",
      "-ure#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "-(ā)tūram",
      "-tura#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "suffix",
      "glosses": [
        "A process; a condition; a result of an action.",
        "An official entity or function."
      ],
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        "idiomatic",
        "morpheme"
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
suffix

A tail.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Derived from Ancient Greek οὐρᾱ́ (ourā́, “tail”)..

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":der",
        "3": "grc:οὐρᾱ́<t:tail>",
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        "text": "*"
      },
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    },
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        "2": ":der",
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        "text": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "Derived from Ancient Greek οὐρᾱ́ (ourā́, “tail”)."
    }
  ],
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    [
      "οὐρᾱ́",
      "οὐρά#Ancient_Greek"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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      "pos": "suffix",
      "glosses": [
        "A tail."
      ],
      "tags": [
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        "morpheme"
      ],
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for -ure →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-LXVyZQ