Suffix · forms nouns
From Old French "-erie": forms nouns of activity, place, collective quality or state. Chivalry, trickery, wizardry, bravery, mockery.
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
The suffix -ery (and its shorter variant -ry) comes from Old French "-erie" and forms nouns with four main meanings: 1. Place or establishment: bakery, brewery, gallery, nursery. 2. Activity, art or set of actions: archery, wizardry, carpentry. 3. Quality or behaviour (often negative): trickery, bravery, treachery, snobbery. 4. Collective or abstract state: chivalry, rivalry, mockery, misery. Spanish: most often -eria or -ia: bakery = panaderia, sorcery = hechiceria.
"chivalry" = the medieval knight's code of honour, courtesy and bravery. "Chivalry is not dead." "treachery" = grave betrayal or deception. More dramatic and literary than "betrayal". "wizardry" = magic or extraordinary skill: "financial wizardry" (very common in journalistic English). All three are C1-C2.
"bravery" = courage. "an act of bravery." More elevated than "braveness". "mockery" = ridicule, parody or farce. Key phrase: "to make a mockery of something" = to reduce something to a farce: "The trial was a mockery of justice." "snobbery" = the attitude of social or intellectual superiority: "intellectual snobbery." "reverse snobbery" = looking down on others for being elite.
Noun or verb + ery or + ry. Always produces a noun.
The variant -ry (without e) appears when the root ends in -er: wizard = wizardry, carpenter = carpentry, rival = rivalry. The form -ery appears otherwise: baker = bakery, trick = trickery. Learn word by word.
-ery / -ry/əri/ · sounds like uh-ree
Tap the button to hear how the ending sounds. Each word in the table has its own audio.
to make a mockery of something is a fixed phrase: The verdict made a mockery of justice. Not simply used to mock a person.
chivalry /ˈʃɪvəlri/ = the medieval knight's code. cavalry /ˈkævəlri/ = a mounted military unit. Different pronunciation and completely different meaning.
financial wizardry = exceptional financial skill. wizardry with data = extraordinary data skills. In journalistic English, wizardry = skill that seems almost magical.
A trick to remember it
-ery/-ry = place, activity, quality or collective state. Key literary words: chivalry, treachery, wizardry, trickery, mockery, rivalry, bravery. Key phrase: make a mockery of = reduce to a farce.
Exercise 1 · Form the word
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
Financial wizardry means...
Exercise 3 · Pick the right one
What is the difference between chivalry and cavalry?
The suffix -ery / -ry from Old French "-erie": forms nouns of activity, place, collective quality or state. Chivalry, trickery, wizardry, bravery, mockery. In Spanish it usually maps to -eria / -ia.
The ending -ery / -ry is pronounced /əri/ · sounds like uh-ree. For example, "chivalry".
"chivalrous" becomes "chivalry". It is a typical example of the -ery / -ry suffix.
-tion, -ness, -ful, -ly, -able... every ending you need to understand thousands of words at once.