# -or
## English
### Alternative forms

* -our (obsolete)

### Etymology 1

From Middle English -our, from Old French -eor, from Latin -ātor; reinforced by Old French -or and its source, Latin -tor, -tōrem.

#### Pronunciation

* (UK) IPA: /ə/
* (US) enPR: ər, IPA: /ɚ/
* Homophones: -er; -a (non-rhotic)

#### Suffix

-or
* Creates an agent noun, often from a verb, indicating a person or object (often machines or parts of them) that do the verb or part of speech with which they are formed.
    Synonyms: -er, (casual) -ster
    Hyponyms: -a, -ess, -ette, -trix
    Coordinate term: (converse form; one who receives from the actor) -ee
    ‎settle + ‎-or → ‎settlor
    ‎survive + ‎-or → ‎survivor
* (electrical science) Appended to the names of members of classes of components, especially those that have an extensive property name of the same root suffixed with -ance
    Resistors possess resistance and inductors possess inductance.

##### Usage notes

In Latin-derived words, English generally appends this suffix where Latin would do it—to the root of a perfect passive participle (i.e. past participle). For other words, English tends to use the suffix -er. Occasionally both are used (protester vs. protestor).

##### Derived terms

* actor
* assignor
* author
* bailor
* debtor
* donor
* licensor
* realtor
* sculptor
* settlor
* sublicensor
* trustor

##### Related terms

* -er (alternative spelling)
* -trix (feminine form)

#### See also

* -ist

### Etymology 2

From Latin -or.

#### Suffix

-or
* Used to form nouns of quality, state, or condition.
    ‎err + ‎-or → ‎error

### Anagrams

* r/o, Ro, R&O, RO

## Albanian
### Suffix

-or m (feminine singular -ore, masculine plural -orë, feminine plural -ore)
* forms relational adjectives and demonyms
    ‎Mirditë + ‎-or → ‎mirditor (“inhabitant of Mirdita”)
* forms agent nouns
    ‎dasmë (“wedding”) + ‎-or → ‎dasmor (“wedding guest”)
* forms many names for months

#### Usage notes

* Formation with the article in the standard language is often based on Gheg roots, e.g.:
    ‎zâ + ‎-or → ‎zanor, rather than from zë
    ‎shkretinë + ‎-or → ‎shkretinor, rather than from shkretëtirë

#### Derived terms
### See also

* -ësor

## Aragonese
### Etymology

Inherited from Latin -ōrem.

### Suffix

-or f
* used to create abstract nouns from adjectives; -ness
    ‎blanc (“white”) + ‎-or → ‎blancor (“whiteness”)
    ‎clar (“bright”) + ‎-or → ‎claror (“brightness”)

### Further reading

* Diccionario ortografico de l'aragonés (Seguntes la PO de l'EFA)

## Catalan
### Etymology

Inherited from Latin -ōrem.

### Suffix

-or f (noun-forming suffix, plural -ors)
* used to create abstract nouns from adjectives; -ness
    ‎blanc (“white”) + ‎-or → ‎blancor (“whiteness”)
    ‎buit (“empty”) + ‎-or → ‎buidor (“emptiness”)

### Further reading

* “-or”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
* “-or” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.

## Franco-Provençal
### Etymology

Inherited from Latin -ōrem m.

### Suffix

-or f (plural -ors) (ORB, broad)
* Attaches to an adjective denoting a physical property to form the associated abstract noun.

#### Derived terms
## Ido
### Etymology

Modeled after -ar and -os.

### Suffix

-or
* Used to denote the future infinitive of a verb.
    Tu mustas kompror lakto kande tu es che la butiko.You must buy milk when you are at the shop.

#### Related terms

* -ar (present infinitive tense)
* -ir (past infinitive tense)

## Latin
### Pronunciation

* (Classical Latin) IPA: /ˈor/, [ˈɔr]
* (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA: /ˈor/, [ˈɔr]

### Etymology 1

From Proto-Italic *-ōs, from Proto-Indo-European *-ōs, for original *-oss, compound suffix from *(é)-os (athematic) (neuter s-stem) +‎ *-s (masculine nominative).
The ō from the nominative case was made common to all cases originally with non-ablauting o (the three exceptions were arbor, mulier and Cerēs). Afterwards nom.sg. -ōr > -or, by Latin sound laws. Thus paradoxically, as in other r-stems (soror, -tor), in the resulting paradigm the one form with a short stem vowel is the only form whose stem was etymologically long.

#### Suffix

-or m (genitive -ōris); third declension
* used to form a third-declension masculine abstract noun from a verb root or conceived root form
    Synonyms: -ēs, -us
    ‎amō (“I love”) + ‎-or → ‎amor (“love”)
    ‎timeō (“I fear”, “I am afraid”) + ‎-or → ‎timor (“fear”)

##### Declension

Third-declension noun.

##### Descendants

* Italo-Romance: m
** Italian: -ore
* Gallo-Romance: f
** Catalan: -or
** Franco-Provençal: -or
** French: -eur
** Occitan: -or
* Ibero-Romance: m
** Spanish: -or

#### See also

* -ātor
* -tor (-sor)

### Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

#### Suffix

-or
* first-person singular present passive indicative of -ō (first conjugation)

### Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

#### Suffix

-or
* first-person singular present passive indicative of -ō (third conjugation)

### References

* ↑ Sihler, Andrew L. (1995) New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN

## Norwegian
### Suffix

-or
* A plural marker, used on feminine gender nouns ending with an unstressed -e [-a].

#### Usage notes

The -or suffix is a bracket form in Nynorsk whereas -er is the main form. In Bokmål, -er is the only form allowed suffix.

## Old English
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /or/

### Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *-ar-. Akin to Old High German -ar.

#### Alternative forms

* -er

#### Suffix

-or
* suffix forming adjectives from verbs denoting tendency or causation
    ‎*slīpan (“to slip, glide”) + ‎-or → ‎slipor (“slippery”)
    ‎wacian (“to be awake, be watchful”) + ‎-or → ‎wacor (“vigilant, watchful”)

##### Descendants

* English: -er

### Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *-raz. Akin to Old Saxon -or, Old High German -ur.

#### Suffix

-or
* Suffix variant found on masculine a-stem nouns
    ‎ċeole (“throat”) + ‎-or → ‎ċeolor (“collar, throat”)
    ‎eald (“old”) + ‎-or → ‎ealdor (“chieftain, ruler”)
    ‎siġe (“victory”) + ‎-or → ‎sigor (“victory”)
    ‎telga (“branch, bough”) + ‎-or → ‎telgor (“branch, twig”)
    ‎dæġ (“day”) + ‎-or → ‎dōgor (“day”)
    ‎sele (“hall”) + ‎-or → ‎salor (“hall, palace”)

##### Declension

Strong a-stem:

### Etymology 3
#### Suffix

-or
* forms comparative adverbs
    ‎hearde (“severely”) + ‎-or → ‎heardor (“more severely”)
    ‎trumlīċe (“firmly”) + ‎-or → ‎trumlīcor (“more firmly”)

## Old French
### Etymology 1

From Latin -(a)tor.

#### Alternative forms

* -eor, -eour, -eur
* -our (late Anglo-Norman)
* -ur (early Anglo-Norman)

#### Suffix

-or (nominative singular -ere, occasionally -ors)
* -er, suffix used to form agent nouns

##### Descendants

* → Middle English: -our (in part)
** English: -or (-er)
** Scots: -or (-er)

### Etymology 2

From Latin -or.

#### Alternative forms

* -eur
* -our (late Anglo-Norman)
* -ur (early Anglo-Norman)

#### Suffix

-or (nominative singular -or)
* -ness, indicates a quality, a characteristic
    ‎blanche + ‎-or → ‎blanchor (“whiteness”)

##### Descendants

* Middle French: -eur (both etymologies)
** French: -eur (both etymologies)
* Norman: -eux
* → Middle English: -our (in part)
** English: -or (-er)
** Scots: -or (-er)

## Polish
### Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *-orъ.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ɔr/
* Rhymes: -ɔr
* Syllabification: [please specify syllabification manually]

### Suffix

-or m inan
* forms augmentatives
    ‎język + ‎-or → ‎jęzor

#### Derived terms
### Further reading

* -or in Polish dictionaries at PWN

## Serbo-Croatian
### Suffix

-or (Cyrillic spelling -ор)
* Suffix appended to words to create a masculine noun, usually denoting a profession or a performer, used chiefly for words of Latin origin.

### See also

* -ator

## Spanish
### Etymology

Inherited from Latin -or.

### Suffix

-or m (noun-forming suffix, plural -ores)
* forms abstract nouns from adjectives
    ‎dulce + ‎-or → ‎dulzor

### Suffix

-or m (noun-forming suffix, plural -ores, feminine -or, feminine plural -ores)
* Used to create agent nouns from verbs
    ‎revisar + ‎-or → ‎revisor

#### Related terms

* -dor

### Further reading

* “-or”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

## Swedish
### Etymology

Usually corresponds to Icelandic -ur (if plural) and dialectal Norwegian Nynorsk -ur or -o.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ʊr/, [ʊᵝr]

### Suffix

-or
* A plural marker. This marker is the regular plural for common gender nouns ending with an unstressed -a. Such an -a disappears when -or is added. The marker is used, however, with a few other nouns as well.
    ‎docka (“doll”) + ‎-or → ‎dockor (“dolls”)
    ‎våg (“wave”) + ‎-or → ‎vågor (“waves”)

### Anagrams

* ro

## Welsh
### Etymology

Cf. Latin -ārius.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ɔr/

### Suffix

-or m (plural -orion)
* person or man associated with root
    Synonyms: -wr, -ydd
    ‎telyn (“harp”) + ‎-or → ‎telynor (“(male) harpist”)
    ‎llên (“literature”) + ‎-or → ‎llenor (“literary man, man o letters”)
    ‎carchar (“prison”) + ‎-or → ‎carcharor (“prisoner”)

#### Derived terms
### References

R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “-or”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies