-tor

See also: Appendix:Variations of "tor"

Aromanian

Alternative forms

• -toru
• -ãtor
• -ãtoru

Etymology

From Vulgar Latin -torius, -torium, and feminine -toari, toare from Vulgar Latin -toria, -toriam, both from Latin -tor. Ultimately from Proto-Italic *-tōr, from Proto-Indo-European *-tōr < *-tor-s.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [tor]

Suffix

-tor (plural -tori, feminine -toari/-toare)

1. -er (used to form nouns from verbs)

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.

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/, [t̪ɔr]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /tor/, [t̪or]

Suffix

-tor m (genitive -tōris); third declension

1. -er; used to form a masculine agent noun

Usage notes

The suffix -tor is added to the fourth principal part of 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, often in the extended form -ātor, as if from a first-conjugation verb.

Examples:

gladiātor (“gladiator”), from gladius (“sword”)

malleātor (“hammerer”), from malleus (“hammer”)

Declension

Third-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	-tor	-tōrēs
Genitive	-tōris	-tōrum
Dative	-tōrī	-tōribus
Accusative	-tōrem	-tōrēs
Ablative	-tōre	-tōribus
Vocative	-tor	-tōrēs

Derived terms

• -ātor
• -tōrium
• -tōrius

Latin terms suffixed with -tor

Related terms

• -or
• -trīx (“-ess, -rix”) (used to form a female agent noun)

Descendants

• Aromanian: -tor
• Asturian: -dor
• Catalan: -dor
• English: -or
• Franco-Provençal: -or
• French: -teur, -eur
• Friulian: -dôr
• Piedmontese: -ào
• Ligurian: -àu, òu
• Lombard: -or, -dor
• Galician: -dor
• Irish: -tóir, -adóir
• Italian: -tore, -ore
• Occitan: -dor
• Portuguese: -dor
• Romanian: -tor
• Sardinian: -dore
• Sicilian: -turi
• Spanish: -dor
• Venetian: -dor

Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tor/
• Hyphenation: -tor

Etymology 1

Inherited from Latin -tor (through a Vulgar Latin form *-torius, and feminine -toare from *-toria). With some neologisms based on 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)

1. -er (used to form nouns from verbs)

   băutor ― drinker

   călător ― traveler

   făcător ― maker

Declension

Declension of -tor

		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

Romanian terms suffixed with -tor

Romanian terms suffixed with -toare

Romanian terms suffixed with -ător

Romanian terms suffixed with -ătoare

Etymology 2

Inherited from Latin -tōrius.

Alternative forms

• -ător

Suffix

-tor m or n (feminine singular -toare, masculine plural -tori, feminine and neuter plural -toare)

1. -ing (used to form adjectives from verbs)

   uimitor ― amazing

   strălucitor ― shining

Declension

Declension of -tor

		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