-tory

¹

1. a suffix occurring in loanwords from Latin, originally adjectival derivatives of agent nouns ending in -tor (predatory ); also forming adjectival derivatives directly from verbs (obligatory; transitory ).

-tory

²

1. a suffix occurring in loanwords from Latin, usually derivatives from agent nouns ending in -tor or directly from verbs, denoting a place or object appropriate for the activity of the verb: dormitory; repository .

Tory

³

[tawr-ee, tohr-ee]

noun

plural

Tories 

1. a member of the Conservative Party in Great Britain or Canada.

2. a member of a political party in Great Britain from the late 17th century to about 1832 that favored royal authority over Parliament and the preservation of the existing social and political order: succeeded by the Conservative party.

3. (often lowercase),  an advocate of conservative principles; one opposed to reform or radicalism.

4. a person who supported the British cause in the American Revolution; a loyalist.

5. (in the 17th century) a dispossessed Irishman who resorted to banditry, especially after the invasion of Oliver Cromwell and suppression of the royalist cause (1649–52).

6. a male or female given name.

adjective

1. of, belonging to, or characteristic of the Tories.

2. being a Tory.

3. (sometimes lowercase),  opposed to reform or radicalism; conservative.

Tory

/ ˈtɔːrɪ /

noun

1. a member or supporter of the Conservative Party in Great Britain or Canada

2. a member of the English political party that opposed the exclusion of James, Duke of York from the royal succession (1679–80). Tory remained the label for subsequent major conservative interests until they gave birth to the Conservative Party in the 1830s

3. an American supporter of the British cause; loyalist Compare Whig

4. (sometimes not capital) an ultraconservative or reactionary

5. (in the 17th century) an Irish Roman Catholic, esp an outlaw who preyed upon English settlers

adjective

1. of, characteristic of, or relating to Tories

2. (sometimes not capital) ultraconservative or reactionary

Other Word Forms

• Toryish adjective
• Toryism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of -tory¹

< Latin -tōrius, equivalent to -tōr- -tor + -ius adj. suffix

Origin of -tory²

< Latin -tōrium, noun use of neuter of -tōrius -tory ¹

Origin of -tory³

1640–50; < Irish *tóraighe outlaw, bandit, derivative of tóir chase, pursuit

Word History and Origins

Origin of -tory¹

C17: from Irish tōraidhe outlaw, from Middle Irish tōir pursuit

Example Sentences

Jarvis said all the evidence provided was based on the law and the Tory government's position on China at the time of the alleged offences.

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Jarvis sought to blame the previous Tory government for not classifying China as a threat to national security and being too "slow" to update national security laws.

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Defending her party's record, Badenoch pointed to a number of examples where Tory ministers and government documents had described China as a "threat".

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He argued the prosecution could only be based on the Tory government's position at that time, when he says China was not designated a "threat to national security".

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Current Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has rejected this claim, pointing out that a number of former senior security and legal officials have also questioned the government's argument.

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Related Words

• archconservative 
• counterrevolutionary 
• regressive 
• rightist 
• ultraconservative