English word origin

Etymology of Tory

From Irish tóraí (“pursuer”), from tóir (“pursuit”). The first recorded use in English is from a 1646 letter by James Butler, Earl of Ormond, to a Colonel O'Brien, describing bandits and thieves on main roadways.

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 3 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 ↗

noun

A member or supporter of the Conservative Party, which evolved from Royalist politicians; historically associated with upholding the rights of the monarchy and the privileges of the established Church. · One who is like a British Tory; someone politically conservative. · A member or supporter of the Conservative Party of Canada, one of that party's predecessors, or an affiliated provincial political party. · A member of the political factions that sought to prevent the exclusion of James, Duke of York, from the throne of England in the 17th century.

adj

Of or belonging to the Tory Party or the Conservative Party. · Of or belonging to the Conservative Party of Canada, one of that party's predecessors, or an affiliated provincial political party.

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

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Unspecified derivation mentiontóraíga

This page abbreviates 3 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "uder",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ga",
        "3": "tóraí",
        "4": "",
        "5": "pursuer"
      },
      "expansion": "Irish tóraí (“pursuer”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "tóraí",
      "tóraí#Irish"
    ],
    [
      "tóir",
      "tóir#Irish"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A member or supporter of the Conservative Party, which evolved from Royalist politicians; historically associated with upholding the rights of the monarchy and the privileges of the established Church.",
        "One who is like a British Tory; someone politically conservative.",
        "A member or supporter of the Conservative Party of Canada, one of that party's predecessors, or an affiliated provincial political party.",
        "A member of the political factions that sought to prevent the exclusion of James, Duke of York, from the throne of England in the 17th century."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "broadly",
        "Canadian",
        "derogatory",
        "historical"
      ],
      "recordId": "421f615f5cf78028de910024e68883a9740f95b3b2c38f067c768f5c9926d529",
      "rawRecordSha256": "f496aefaa87b1f4d862de5d9634d8121528976181f5c556790acd96cfb564d10",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 234190
    },
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Of or belonging to the Tory Party or the Conservative Party.",
        "Of or belonging to the Conservative Party of Canada, one of that party's predecessors, or an affiliated provincial political party."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "not-comparable",
        "Canadian"
      ],
      "recordId": "debd2e5c81a63d18338fa0937de07d7e18f23639960e30aa168a32f75305b2e2",
      "rawRecordSha256": "08d5689d1c59368b5fbdaa4cb2680eaa49deb66ad85e7f0722b1bcbe944d71c8",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 234191
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 3,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

name

A female given name. · A male given name.

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

Short for Victoria when used as a female name, and for Victor or Salvatore when used as a male name.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "Victoria",
      "Victoria#English"
    ],
    [
      "Victor",
      "Victor#English"
    ],
    [
      "Salvatore",
      "Salvatore#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A female given name.",
        "A male given name."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "7527e30e9d20f4b8f770891fefec231a8070d1c4c8c65a220d7424d9d34e73be",
      "rawRecordSha256": "7cef7027e94073f7c440eb1122503581cb617bd6ded39cc8d294417db9cfbc2a",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 234192
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

name

Ellipsis of Tory Island, County Donegal, Ireland.

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

No narrative was extracted for this section. Available source templates and references appear below; no ancestor chain has been invented to fill the gap.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {
        "1": "+ Island"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "Ellipsis of Tory Island, County Donegal, Ireland."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "abbreviation",
        "alt-of",
        "ellipsis"
      ],
      "recordId": "09bb2d6943e48fd25f09a30fe89579891ace7e1be2e853a816da1ed8ea6d7488",
      "rawRecordSha256": "ee0e505bc34689fff905d0dc9f5b83158ef1e95667d8a49d95438914aca249e0",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 234193
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

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 Tory →

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-VG9yeQ