-tor
Latin
Alternative forms
- -sor (in forms derived from primarily third conjugation verbs with stems ending in -t-, -d-, -rg-, -ll-, or -rr-.)
Etymology
From Proto-Italic *-tōr, from Proto-Indo-European *-tōr < *-tor-s. The ō from the nominative case was made common to all cases. Afterwards nom.sg. -tōr > -tor, by Latin sound laws. Paradoxically, as in other r-stems (soror, -or), in the resulting paradigm the one form with a short stem vowel is the only form whose stem was etymologically long.[1]
Cognate to Sanskrit: -तृ (-tṛ) (-ता sg (-tā, nom.)).
Cognate to Ancient Greek -τωρ (-tōr), as in δώτωρ (dṓtōr), and -τήρ (-tḗr), as in δοτήρ (dotḗr), from a separate ablaut *-tḗr (agentive suffix).
Compare Latin -trum (instrumental suffix), from Proto-Indo-European *-tr-o-m (instrumental suffix).
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /tor/, [tɔr]
- (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /tor/
Suffix
-tor m (genitive -tōris); third declension
- -er; used to form a masculine agent noun
Usage notes
The suffix -tor is added to a verb to create a third-declension masculine form of an agent noun.
- Examples:
- cantor (“male singer”); masculine counterpart of cantrīx (“female singer”), from canō (“I sing”)
- tōnsor (“male hair cutter”); masculine counterpart of tōnstrīx (“female hair cutter”), from tondeō (“I shear, shave”)
- quadrātor (“stonecutter”), from quadrō (“I make square”)
The suffix -tor occasionally is added to a noun to create an agent noun.
- Examples:
- gladiātor (“gladiator”), from gladius (“sword”)
- malleātor (“hammerer”), from malleus (“hammer”)
Inflection
Third declension.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | -tor | -tōrēs |
| Genitive | -tōris | -tōrum |
| Dative | -tōrī | -tōribus |
| Accusative | -tōrem | -tōrēs |
| Ablative | -tōre | -tōribus |
| Vocative | -tor | -tōrēs |
Derived terms
- -tōrium
- -tōrius
Related terms
- -trīx
Descendants
- Aromanian: -tor
- Catalan: -dor
- English: -or
- Francoprovençal: -or
- French: -teur, -eur
- Friulian: -dôr
- Irish: -tóir, -adóir
- Italian: -tore, -ore
- Occitan: -dor
- Portuguese: -dor
- Romanian: -tor
- Sardinian: -dore
- Sicilian: -turi
- Spanish: -dor
- Venetian: -dor
See also
References
- Sihler, Andrew L. (1995) New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN
Romanian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [tor]
Etymology 1
From Latin -tor (through a Vulgar Latin form *-torius, and feminine -toare from *-toria). With some neologisms based off French -teur. Ultimately from Proto-Italic *-tōr, from Proto-Indo-European *-tōr < *-tor-s.
Alternative forms
- -ător
Suffix
-tor m or n (feminine singular -toare, masculine plural -tori, feminine and neuter plural -toare)
- -er (used to form nouns from verbs)
- băutor - drinker
- călător - traveler
- făcător - maker
Declension
| singular | plural | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | neuter | feminine | masculine | neuter | feminine | ||
| nominative/ accusative | indefinite | -tor | -toare | -tori | -toare | ||
| definite | -torul | -toarea | -torii | -toarele | |||
| genitive/ dative | indefinite | -tor | -toare | -tori | -toare | ||
| definite | -torului | -toarei | -torilor | -toarelor | |||
Derived terms
Etymology 2
From Latin -tōrius.
Alternative forms
- -ător
Suffix
-tor m or n (feminine singular -toare, masculine plural -tori, feminine and neuter plural -toare)
- -ing (used to form adjectives from verbs)
- uimitor - amazing
- strălucitor - shining
Declension
| singular | plural | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | neuter | feminine | masculine | neuter | feminine | ||
| nominative/ accusative | indefinite | -tor | -toare | -tori | -toare | ||
| definite | -torul | -toarea | -torii | -toarele | |||
| genitive/ dative | indefinite | -tor | -toare | -tori | -toare | ||
| definite | -torului | -toarei | -torilor | -toarelor | |||
See also
- -ar