Succour

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To give assistance and support in times of hardship and distress.

Etymology[edit | edit source]

The noun is derived from Middle English socour, which was erroneously treated as the singular form of (“aid, assistance, help; encouragement; support; remedy, relief; sustenance; military assistance or relief; protection, refuge; helper; protector”) and other forms, from Anglo-Norman socurs, sucurs, and secors, and Old French secours, socors, socorse (compare Anglo-Norman soccour, socur, succour, succur, variants of Old French secor; modern French secours (“aid, assistance, help”), from Medieval Latin succursus (“act of succouring”), from Latin succurrēre, from succurrō (“to run to the aid of; to aid, help; to go under, run beneath; to undergo”), from sub- (prefix meaning ‘beneath, under’) + currō (“to run; to hasten, hurry; to move, proceed, travel; to traverse”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱers- (“to run”). The English word is cognate with Italian soccorso (“aid, assistance, help, succour”).

The verb is derived from Middle English socouren (“to aid, assist, help; to provide for one’s needs, maintain, support; to assuage, relieve, remedy; to comfort; to provide military assistance; to rescue, save; to give refuge or shelter to; to defend, protect”) and other forms, from Anglo-Norman socure and other forms (compare Middle French secourir, Old French succurir, sucurir (“to rescue; to remedy”); modern French secourir (“to help out; to succour”)), from Latin succurrēre; see further above. The English word is cognate with Italian soccorrere (“to assist, help”), Occitan secorrer, socorre, Portuguese socorrer (“to help, succour; to rescue”), Spanish socorrer (“to aid, assist, help, succour; to pay on account”).

Pronunciation[edit | edit source]

  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈsʌkə/
  • Homophone: sucker
  • Hyphenation: suc‧cour

Noun[edit | edit source]

succour (countable and uncountable, plural succours) (Australian spelling, British spelling, Canadian spelling)

  1. (uncountable, archaic or obsolete) Aid, assistance, or relief given to one in distress; ministration.
  2. (uncountable, military) Aid or assistance in the form of military equipment and soldiers, especially reinforcements sent to support military action.
  3. (uncountable, obsolete except dialectal) Protection, refuge, shelter; (countable) a place providing such protection, refuge or shelter.

Alternative forms[edit | edit source]

  • succor – American spelling

Derived terms[edit | edit source]

  • succourless, succorless (American spelling)
  • unsuccoured, unsuccored (American spelling)

Verb[edit | edit source]

succour (third-person singular simple present succours, present participle succouring, simple past and past participle succoured) (Australian spelling, British spelling, Canadian spelling)

  1. (transitive) To give aid, assistance, or help.
Synonyms: see Thesaurus:help
Antonyms: see Thesaurus:hurt
  1. (transitive, military) To provide aid or assistance in the form of military equipment and soldiers; in particular, for helping a place under siege.
  2. (transitive, obsolete except dialectal) To protect, to shelter; to provide a refuge.

Alternative forms[edit | edit source]

Resources[edit | edit source]



 
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