a suffix occurring originally in loanwords from Classical and Medieval Latin, on adjectives ( elementary; honorary; stationary; tributary ), personal nouns ( actuary; notary; secretary ), or nouns denoting objects, esp. receptacles or places ( library; rosary; glossary ). The suffix has the general sense "pertaining to, connected with" the referent named by the base; it is productive in English, sometimes with the additional senses "contributing to," "for the purpose of," and usually forming adjectives: complimentary; visionary; revolutionary; inflationary.
[ ME -arie -arius, -a, -um; E personal nouns reflect -arius, objects and places -arium or -aria; inherited and adopted F forms of this suffix are -ER 2 , -EER, -IER 2 , -AIRE; cf. -ER 1 ]