The Suffix -or: The Suffix -or, Part 4

Most of these words describe a particular mood or feeling. If you’re clamoring for more vocabulary, savor the succor of this list and learn it with fervor!

Here are links to our lists for this collection: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. parlor
    a room in a house where people can sit, relax, and talk
    When I used old words like parlor instead of living room, they thought I was trying to act superior. Everything Sad Is Untrue
  2. abhor
    feel hatred or disgust toward
    I abhor cheapskates and now find myself becoming one. Washington Post (Oct 18, 2020)
    In Latin, abhorrere means "to recoil from" or "to be repelled by." So this is a good word to describe a hatred or revulsion that occurs on a physical level.
  3. clamor
    loud and persistent outcry from many people
    As they stepped into the darkness the clamor of voices struck against them. The Witch of Blackbird Pond
    Clamare means "to shout or to cry out" in Latin, which is also where we get exclaim and other related words.
  4. rigor
    excessive sternness
    Alongside clips of their recitals, the girls allude to the rigor of their training: long hours, harsh criticisms, a competitive atmosphere. New York Times (Oct 14, 2020)
    Rigor means extreme stiffness or strictness — rigidity — either literally, as with rigor mortis, or figuratively, as in "that law school has a rigorous program" meaning that it's a tough school with extremely high academic standards.
  5. vapor
    a visible suspension in the air of particles of a substance
    A coating and a vapor barrier are added to exterior walls. Seattle Times (Oct 1, 2020)
  6. valor
    courage when facing danger
    All around the sides of the stone were detailed carvings, depicting scenes from Martin’s life: deeds of valor and works of skillful healing. Redwall
  7. fervor
    the state of being emotionally aroused and worked up
    At these times Cejas speaks with such grit, such fervor, such fire, I believe she might just do this. Beast Rider
    Fervor, fever, and fervid all come from the same Latin root fervere meaning "to boil and to be hot."
  8. pallor
    an unnatural lack of color in the skin
    There’s that great Hughes poem about the street musician, “down on Lenox Avenue the other night, by the pale dull pallor of an old gas light.” New York Times (Aug 20, 2020)
    Pallor means "extremely, unhealthily pale." Pale, unsurprisingly, shares the same root. Pallid is the adjective form.
  9. arbor
    a framework that supports climbing plants
    Pass beneath local artisan Sue Skelly’s rustic arbor, and be swallowed up in the sheer scale of the plantings. Seattle Times (Oct 10, 2020)
    Arbor means "tree" in Latin, and while arboreal is used to refer to forests in English, an arbor is now a freestanding trellis, often in the shape of an arch, for climbing plants.
  10. languor
    inactivity; showing an unusual lack of energy
    Immediately, however, a deadly languor took possession of her and she fell into a heavy sleep. Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes
    Languor is Latin for "illness, exhaustion, or weakness." Related words include languid and languish.
  11. stupor
    a state of being half-awake
    In this position he lay in a stupor of half-sleep for about twelve hours. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
    Stupere is the verb that also gave us stupid, and a stupor can refer to the state of being dazed, stunned, or otherwise incapacitated by a situation, an injury, or a drug.
Created on Tue Oct 06 14:47:44 EDT 2020 (updated Thu Apr 21 09:50:49 EDT 2022)

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