Dictionary.com
definitions

succor

[ suhk-er ]
/ ˈsʌk ər /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR succor ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

help; relief; aid; assistance.
a person or thing that gives help, relief, aid, etc.

verb (used with object)

to help or relieve.

RELATED CONTENT

Do You Give Presents Or Gifts? Here’s The DifferenceWhere do the words gift and present come from? Why does English use both? We're pretty sure it's not just so that children can ask for toys in multiple ways ...
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

sustenance, aid, support, relief, help, comfort, mitigation, assistance, refuge, rescue

Nearby words

  1. succinite,
  2. succinylcholine,
  3. succinylcholine chloride,
  4. succinylcoenzyme a,
  5. succise,
  6. succorance,
  7. succorrhea,
  8. succory,
  9. succos,
  10. succotash
Also especially British, suc·cour.

Origin of succor

1250–1300; (v.) Middle English sucuren < Old French suc(c)urre, socorre < Latin succurrere to go beneath, run to help, equivalent to suc- suc- + currere to run (see current); (noun) Middle English soc(o)ur, back formation from sucurs (taken as plural) < Old French < Medieval Latin succursus, equivalent to Latin succur(rere) + -sus, var of -tus suffix of v. action
Related forms
Can be confusedsuccor sucker

Usage note

See -or1.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for succor

Word Origin and History for succor

succor

n.

early 13c., from Anglo-French succors "help, aid," Old French sucurres, from Medieval Latin succursus "help, assistance," from past participle of Latin succurrere "run to help," from sub "up to" + currere "to run" (see current (adj.)). Final -s mistaken as a plural inflexion and dropped late 13c.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper