-oire
French, suffix/waʁ/
-oire is spelled O-I-R-E (4 letters). -oire is a French feminine suffix meaning “Suffix used to form adjectives matched to nouns ending in -ation (or its variants) and derived from a Latin verb” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) defines it as “Suffixe adjectival”.
What does -oire mean in English?
suffix
- 1
Suffix used to form adjectives matched to nouns ending in -ation (or its variants) and derived from a Latin verb.
hallucination + -oire → hallucinatoire (“hallucinatory”)
suffix
- 1
feminineSuffix used on verbs to form feminine nouns, generally referring to objects or tools used to do something.
balancer + -oire → balançoire f (“playground swing”)
suffix
- 1
masculineSuffix used on verbs (usually attached to the Latin supine stem) to form masculine nouns, generally referring to places where something is done.
laboratoire m (Latin laborare)
Source: English Wiktionary, French section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How French dictionaries define it
suffix: 1. Suffixe adjectival. 2. Suffixe nominal servant à créer un mot qui désigne un instrument, un lieu, etc., permettant d’effectuer l’action contenue dans le verbe utilisé comme racine.
The definition in the French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), in French.
Source: French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
How do you pronounce -oire?
- /waʁ/
- \waʁ\
Sources: English Wiktionary, French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.