DictionaryRoot: -arius
Latin

-arius

connected with; a person concerned with

Forms

  • -arius
  • -ary — The ending shortened in French and English.
  • -aire — One French development of the ending.

Origin

A Latin ending for relationships, occupations, and associated things.

Note

Its descendants can name a person, a place, or a quality; the surrounding word determines the contribution.

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A young adult South Asian woman serving as a college bursar checks a payment ledger against a calculator while a middle-aged South Asian woman colleague hands her a payment envelope.
noun

bursar

BER-ser/ˈbɜːrsər/

An official who manages a school's or college's finances.

Etymology

A bursar was literally a “purse-bearer”: someone entrusted with money. That image survives in the college official responsible for managing funds and payments.

Full entry

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