succor

[suhk-er]

noun

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

verb (used with object)

to help or relieve.

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 formssuc·cor·a·ble, adjectivesuc·cor·er, nounnon·suc·cor, nounun·suc·cor·a·ble, adjectiveun·suc·cored, adjective

Can be confusedsuccor sucker

Synonyms for succor

1, 3. support. 3. See help.

Usage note

See -or¹.

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

Examples from the Web for succour

Historical Examples of succour

It did her, for the time, the good of having him to think of and to succour.
Little Dorrit
Charles Dickens
No, no; there could be no succour for a spot supposed to be empty and closed.
The Channings
Mrs. Henry Wood
All hope was gone, and nothing was thought of but succour from abroad.
Memoirs Of The Court Of Marie Antoinette, Queen Of France, Complete
Madame Campan
They know that at the cry of their distress England and America will rush to their succour.
Ireland as It Is
Robert John Buckley (AKA R.J.B.)
He pledged to give half of all he had in the world to any who should succour her.
Luttrell Of Arran
Charles James Lever

British Dictionary definitions for succour

succour

US succor

noun

help or assistance, esp in time of difficulty
a person or thing that provides help

verb

(tr) to give aid to

Derived Formssuccourable or US succorable, adjectivesuccourer or US succorer, nounsuccourless or US succorless, adjective

Word Origin for succour

C13: from Old French sucurir, from Latin succurrere to hurry to help, from sub- under + currere to run

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for succour

chiefly British English spelling of succor (q.v.); for spelling, see -or.

succor

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.