sure

See also: Sure, süre, and sûre

English

Alternative forms

• sho
• sho'

Etymology

From Middle English sure, seur, sur, borrowed from Middle French sur or Old French seür, from Latin sēcūrus (“secure”, literally “carefree”), from sē- (“apart”) + cūra (“care”) (compare Old English orsorg (“carefree”), from or- (“without”) + sorg (“care”)). See cure. Doublet of secure and the now obsolete or dialectal sicker (“certain, safe”).

Displaced native Middle English wis, iwis (“certain, sure”) (from Old English ġewis, ġewiss (“certain, sure”)), Middle English siker (“sure, secure”) (from Old English sicor (“secure, sure”)) with which was cognate.

This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term. When and how did the "s" come to be pronounced as "sh"? The OED entry points to a source that may have information on this: E. J. Dobson Eng. Pronunc. 1500–1700 (ed. 2, 1968) II. §185 (iii.) and §388. Perhaps early irregular yod-coalescence?

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ʃɔː/, /ʃʊə/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʊə(r), -ɔː(r)
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ʃʊəɹ/, /ʃɔɹ/, /ʃɝ/
• (General Australian, New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ʃoː/
• (Canada) IPA^(key): /ʃ(ə)ɹ/
• (obsolete) IPA^(key): /sjuːɹ/, /sɪwɹ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Homophones: shaw, Shaw (in some non-rhotic dialects); shore (in some dialects)

Adjective

sure (comparative surer, superlative surest)

1. Physically secure and certain, non-failing, reliable.

   This investment is a sure thing.   The bailiff had a sure grip on the prisoner's arm.

2. Certain in one's knowledge or belief.
   • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 4, in The Celebrity:

     The Celebrity, by arts unknown, induced Mrs. Judge Short and two other ladies to call at Mohair on an afternoon when Mr. Cooke was trying a trotter on the track. The three returned wondering and charmed with Mrs. Cooke; they were sure she had had no hand in the furnishing of that atrocious house.

   He was sure she was lying.   I am sure of my eventual death.   John was acting sure of himself but in truth had doubts.

3. Certain to act or be a specified way.

   Be sure to lock the door when you leave.

4. (obsolete) Free from danger; safe; secure.
   • (Can we date this quote by Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     Fear not; the forest is not three leagues off; / If we recover that we are sure enough.

5. (obsolete) Betrothed; engaged to marry.
   • (Can we date this quote by Sir T. More and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     The king was sure to Dame Elizabeth Lucy, and her husband before God.

   • (Can we date this quote by Brome and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     I presume […] that you had been sure as fast as faith could bind you, man and wife.

Synonyms

• (secure and steadfast): certain, failsafe, reliable, sicker
• (steadfast in one's knowledge or belief): certain, positive, wis

Derived terms

• for sure
• surely
• sure up

Pages starting with “sure”.

Translations

certain, reliable

• Arabic: أَكِيد (ʔakīd)
• Armenian: վստահ (hy) (vstah)
• Aromanian: sigur
• Bulgarian: си́гурен (bg) (síguren)
• Catalan: segur (ca)
• Chamicuro: akachelo'ta
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 確定／确定 (zh) (quèdìng), 确定 (zh) (quèdìng)

• Czech: jistý (cs)
• Dutch: zeker (nl)
• Finnish: varma (fi)
• French: sûr (fr) m, sûre (fr) f, certain (fr)
• Friulian: sigûr, ciert
• Georgian: სანდო (sando)
• German: sicher (de), stichhaltig (de), hieb- und stichfest (de), wasserdicht (de)
• Greek: ασφαλής (el) (asfalís)
• Hebrew: בָּטוּחַ (he) (batúakh)
• Hungarian: biztos (hu)
• Irish: dearfa, deimhin
• Italian: sicuro (it) m, sicura (it) f, certo (it) m, certa (it) f
• Japanese: 確か (ja) (たしか, tashika)
• Korean: 확실하다 (ko) (hwaksilhada)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Ladin: cert, cërt
• Latin: certus
• Macedonian: сигурен (siguren)
• Norman: seux
• Occitan: segur (oc)
• Persian: مطمئن (fa) (motma'enn, motma'en)
• Polish: pewny (pl), pewien (pl)
• Portuguese: certo (pt), seguro (pt)
• Romanian: sigur (ro), cert (ro)
• Romansch: segir, sieir, siir, sgür
• Russian: уве́ренный (ru) (uvérennyj), надёжный (ru) (nadjóžnyj), ве́рный (ru) (vérnyj)
• Sardinian: securu, seguru, sicuru, siguru
• Scots: shuir
• Scottish Gaelic: cinnteach, deimhinn
• Sicilian: sicuro, siguro, certu
• Spanish: seguro (es)
• Swedish: säker (sv)
• Turkish: emin (tr)
• Ukrainian: упе́внений (upévnenyj)
• Venetian: çerto, serto, sigur, siguro, seguro
• Welsh: siwr, sicr (cy)

certain in one's knowledge or belief

• Arabic: مُتَأَكِّد (mutaʔakkid)
• Armenian: հաստատուն (hy) (hastatun)
• Belarusian: упэ́ўнены (upéŭnjeny), пэ́ўны (péŭny)
• Bulgarian: уве́рен (bg) (uvéren), си́гурен (bg) (síguren)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 確定／确定 (zh) (quèdìng), 确定 (zh) (quèdìng)

• Czech: jistý (cs)
• Danish: sikker (da)
• Dutch: zeker (nl)
• Esperanto: certa
• French: sûr (fr), certain (fr)
• Georgian: დარწმუნებული (darc̣munebuli)
• German: sicher (de)
• Greek: βέβαιος (el) (vévaios), σίγουρος (el) m (sígouros)
• Hebrew: בָּטוּחַ (he) (batúakh)
• Icelandic: viss (is) m
• Japanese: 確信した (ja) (かくしんした, kakushin shita)
• Korean: 확실하다 (ko) (hwaksilhada)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Macedonian: сигурен (siguren), уверен (uveren)
• Maore Comorian: na yakini
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: sikker (no)

• Old English: ġewiss
• Polish: pewny (pl)
• Portuguese: certo (pt)
• Romanian: sigur (ro), cert (ro)
• Russian: уве́ренный (ru) (uvérennyj)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: си̏гӯран, у̀верен

  Roman: sȉgūran (sh), ùveren

• Slovak: istý
• Slovene: gotov
• Spanish: seguro (es)
• Swedish: säker (sv)
• Ukrainian: упе́внений (upévnenyj), пе́вний (uk) (pévnyj)
• Vietnamese: chắc chắn (vi)
• Welsh: siŵr (cy), sicr (cy)

certain to act or be

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

Adverb

sure (comparative more sure, superlative most sure)

1. (modal adverb) Without doubt, certainly.

   Sure he's coming! Why wouldn't he?

   "Did you kill that bear yourself?" ―"I sure did!"

   • (Can we date this quote by Charles Lamb and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     These high and gusty relishes of life, sure,
     Have no allayings of mortality in them.

Usage notes

• Often proscribed in favor of surely. May be informal.

Interjection

sure

1. Yes. (Expresses noncommittal agreement or consent.)

   "Do you want me to put this in the garage?" "Sure, go ahead."

2. Yes; of course.

   "Could you tell me where the washrooms are?" "Sure, they're in the corner over there."

Synonyms

• (noncommittal yes): OK, yes

Translations

noncommittal yes

• French: d’accord (fr)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

of course

• Arabic: طَبْعًا (ṭabʕan), أَكِيد (ʔakīd)
• Armenian: իհարկե (hy) (iharke), անշուշտ (hy) (anšušt)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 當然／当然 (zh) (dāngrán), 当然 (zh) (dāngrán)

• Finnish: toki (fi)
• French: bien sûr (fr)
• Georgian: უთუოდ (utuod)
• German: sicher (de)
• Greek: βεβαίως (el) (vevaíos)
• Hebrew: בטח (he)
• Italian: certo (it)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: もちろん (ja) (mochiron)
• Korean: 물론 (ko) (mullon)
• Polish: oczywiście (pl), (exclamation) pewnie! (pl), naturalnie (pl)
• Portuguese: tá (pt), claro (pt), tudo bem (pt)
• Romanian: sigur (ro)
• Russian: коне́чно (ru) (konéčno)
• Slovak: určite
• Slovene: sevéda (sl)
• Spanish: por supuesto (es), claro (es)
• Swedish: självklart (sv), jodå (sv)
• Ukrainian: зві́сно (zvísno)

References

• 1996, T.F. Hoad, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Etymology, Oxford University Press, →ISBN

Anagrams

• ERUs, Ersu, Reus, Rues, Ruse, US'er, rues, ruse, suer, ures, user

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Danish

Adjective

sure

1. inflection of sur:
   1. definite singular
   2. plural

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Finnish

Verb

sure

1. (deprecated template usage) present active indicative connegative of surra
2. (deprecated template usage) second-person singular present imperative of surra
3. (deprecated template usage) second-person singular present active imperative connegative of surra

Anagrams

• resu, seur.

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French

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -yʁ

Adjective

sure

1. feminine singular of sur

Anagrams

• rues
• ruse, rusé
• suer
• user

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Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old French seür, from Latin sēcūrus. Doublet of siker.

Alternative forms

• sur, seur, seure, sewre, sewr, sewere, suer, suere, soure, suir, sere, sore

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɛu̯r/, /siu̯r/, /suːr/

Adjective

sure (comparative seurer)

1. safe, protected (not dangerous or harmful)
2. fortified, well-defended, protected; especially religiously
3. sure, certain, confirmed
4. sure-minded (certain of one's intent)
5. reliable, of good quality
6. sound, sturdy, hardy

Derived terms

• surely
• surement
• suren
• surenes
• surete

Descendants

• English: sure
  • Japanese: シュア (shua)
• Scots: shuir

References

• “seur (adj.)”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-21.

Adverb

sure

1. sure, surely, with no doubt or uncertainty
2. entirely, wholly, fully
3. While protecting something, with protection
4. With a tight grasp or grip

Descendants

• English: sure
• Scots: shuir

References

• “seur (adv.)”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-21.

Etymology 2

From sure (noun).

Verb

sure

1. Alternative form of suren

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Norwegian Bokmål

Adjective

sure

1. (deprecated template usage) definite singular of sur
2. plural of sur

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Norwegian Nynorsk

Adjective

sure

1. (deprecated template usage) definite singular of sur
2. plural of sur

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Old English

Etymology

From Germanic, related to sūr (“sour”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsuː.re/

Noun

sūre f

1. sorrel

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Pali

Alternative forms

Alternative forms

• 𑀲𑀼𑀭𑁂 (Brahmi script)
• सुरे (Devanagari script)
• সুরে (Bengali script)
• සුරෙ (Sinhalese script)
• သုရေ (Burmese script)
• สุเร (Thai script)
• ᩈᩩᩁᩮ (Tai Tham script)
• ສຸເຣ (Lao script)
• សុរេ (Khmer script)
• 𑄥𑄪𑄢𑄬 (Chakma script)

Noun

sure

1. vocative singular of surā (“a class of liquor”)

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Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsure/

Adjective

sure

1. inflection of sur:
   1. genitive/dative feminine singular
   2. nominative/accusative/genitive/dative feminine/neuter plural

---

Swedish

Adjective

sure

1. (deprecated template usage) definite natural masculine singular of sur

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Turkish

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Arabic سُورَة (sūra).

Noun

sure (definite accusative sureyi, plural sureler)

1. sura

Declension

Inflection
Nominative	sure
Definite accusative	sureyi
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	sure	sureler
Definite accusative	sureyi	sureleri
Dative	sureye	surelere
Locative	surede	surelerde
Ablative	sureden	surelerden
Genitive	surenin	surelerin