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Origin and history of ure

ure(n.)

"effect, operation, practice," early 15c., from Old French uevre (13c., Modern French oeuvre), from Latin opera (see opera). Also "custom, habit" (mid-15c.). To put in ure was "make use of; bring about;" to be well ured in was to be thoroughly practiced in (mid-15c.).

also from early 15c.

Entries linking to ure

opera(n.)

"a drama sung" [Klein], "a form of extended dramatic composition in which music is essential and predominant," 1640s, from Italian opera, literally "a work, labor, composition," from Latin opera "work, effort" (Latin plural regarded as feminine singular), secondary (abstract) noun from operari "to work," from opus (genitive operis) "a work" (from PIE root *op- "to work, produce in abundance"). Explained in "Elson's Music Dictionary" as, "a form of musical composition evolved shortly before 1600, by some enthusiastic Florentine amateurs who sought to bring back the Greek plays to the modern stage."

No good opera plot can be sensible. ... People do not sing when they are feeling sensible. [W.H. Auden, 1961]

As a branch of dramatic art, it is attested from 1759. First record of opera glass "small binoculars to aid vision at the theater" is from 1738. Opera-house, "theater devoted chiefly to opera performances," is from 1720.

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    Trends of ure

    adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/ with a 7-year moving average; ngrams are probably unreliable.

    More to explore

    admixture
    c. 1600, "act of mingling," with -ure + admix (1530s), a back-formed verb from admixt "mingled" (early 15c.), a past-participle...
    carburetor
    combining form of carbon, + -uret, an archaic suffix from Modern Latin -uretum, used in English to parallel French words in -ure...
    our
    Old English ure "of us, pertaining to or belonging to us," genitive plural of the first person pronoun, from Proto-Germanic...
    rapture
    c. 1600, "act of carrying off" as prey or plunder, from rapt + -ure, or else from French rapture, from Medieval Latin raptura...
    pleasure
    The ending was altered in Middle English by influence of words in -ure (measure, etc.)....
    clerisy
    the sages and professors of law and jurisprudence; of medicine and physiology; of music; of military and civil architec[t]ure...
    inspiration
    c. 1300, "immediate influence of God or a god," especially that under which the holy books were written, from Old French inspiracion "inhaling, breathing in; inspiration" (13c.), from Late Latin inspirationem (nominative inspiratio), noun of action from past-participle stem of La
    busy
    Old English bisig "careful, anxious," later "continually employed or occupied, in constant or energetic action" cognate with Old Dutch bezich, Low German besig, but having no known connection with any other Germanic or Indo-European language. Still pronounced as in Middle English
    Eros
    god of love, late 14c., from Greek eros (plural erotes), "god or personification of love; (carnal) love," from eran, eramai, erasthai "to desire," which is of uncertain origin. Beekes suggests it is from Pre-Greek. The Freudian sense of "urge to self-preservation and sexual pleas
    shenanigan
    "nonsense; deceit, humbug," 1855, American English slang, of uncertain origin. Earliest records of it are in California (San Francisco and Sacramento). Suggestions include Spanish chanada, a shortened form of charranada "trick, deceit;" or, less likely, German Schenigelei, peddle

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