variant of the adjective-forming suffix -al1, joined to words in which an l precedes the suffix: circular; lunar; singular.
Origin of -ar
1
< Latin-āris; replacing Middle English-er < Anglo-French,Old French < Latin-āris
-ar
2
variant of -er2, often under the influence of a spelling with -ar- in a cognate Latin noun: burglar; cellar; collar; mortar; poplar; scholar; vicar; vinegar.
-ar
3
variant of -er1 on the model of -ar2, used in the formation of nouns of agency: liar; beggar.
word-formation element meaning "pertaining to, of the nature of," from Latin -arem, -aris "of the kind of, belonging to," a secondary form of -alis, dissimilated for used after syllables with an -l- (e.g. insularis for *insulalis, stellaris for *stellalis).
