sure

English Online Dictionary. What means sure‎? What does sure mean?

English

Alternative forms

• sho
• sho'

Etymology

From Middle English sure, seur, sur, from Middle French sur or Old French seür, from Latin sēcūrus (“secure”, literally “carefree”), from sē- (“apart”) + cūra (“care”) (compare Old English orsorg (“carefree”), from or- (“without”) + sorg (“care”)). See cure. Doublet of secure and the now obsolete or dialectal sicker (“certain, safe”).

Displaced native Middle English wis, iwis (“certain, sure”) (from Old English ġewis, ġewiss (“certain, sure”)), as well as Middle English siker (“sure, secure”) (from Old English sicor (“secure, sure”)) with which it was cognate.

This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term. When and how did the letter"s" come to be pronounced as "sh"? The OED entry points to a source that may have information on this: E. J. Dobson Eng. Pronunc. 1500–1700 (ed. 2, 1968) II. §185 (iii.) and $388. Perhaps early irregular yod-coalescence?

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ʃʊə/, (pour–poor merger) /ʃɔː/
• (Standard Southern British) IPA^(key): /ʃoː/, (cure–fir merger) /ʃɜː/
• (General Australian, New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ʃoː/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ʃʊɹ/, (cure–fir merger) /ʃɝ/, (pour–poor merger) /ʃoɹ/
• (Canada) IPA^(key): /ʃɔɹ/, (cure–fir merger) /ʃɝ/
• (New York City) IPA^(key): /ʃuɚ/
• (non-rhotic, show–sure merger, African-American Vernacular) IPA^(key): /ʃoʊ/
• (Scotland, Northern Ireland) IPA^(key): /ʃʉːɹ/
• (Ireland) IPA^(key): /ˈʃuːɹ/
• (obsolete) IPA^(key): /sjʊəɹ/, /sjuːɹ/, /sɪʊ̯ɹ/
• Homophones: shore (pour–poor merger); shaw, Shaw (both paw–poor merger); show (show–sure merger)
• Rhymes: -ʊə(ɹ), -ɔː(ɹ)

Adjective

sure (comparative surer, superlative surest)

1. Physically secure and certain, non-failing, reliable.
2. Certain in one's knowledge or belief.
   • 2008 November 21, Graham Linehan, The IT Crowd, Season 3, Episode 1:

     Roy: I'm 95% sure it was him.
     Jen: You... you said you were 99% sure.
     Roy: I'm 97% sure it was him.

3. (followed by a to infinitive) Certain to act or be a specified way.

4. (obsolete) Free from danger; safe; secure.
5. (obsolete) Betrothed; engaged to marry.
   • c. 1513-1518 (probably date written, published after 1535) Thomas More, History of King Richard III

     The king was sure to Dame Elizabeth Lucy, and her husband before God.

Synonyms

• (secure and steadfast): certain, failsafe, reliable, sicker
• (steadfast in one's knowledge or belief): certain, positive, wis

Derived terms

English terms starting with “sure”

Descendants

• → Kashubian: szur (United States)
• →⇒ Irish: siúráil
• → Welsh: siwr

Translations

Adverb

sure (comparative more sure, superlative most sure)

1. (modal adverb) Without doubt, certainly.
2. (archaic) Without fail, surely.

Usage notes

• Often proscribed in favor of surely. May be informal.

Interjection

sure

1. Yes, expressing noncommittal agreement or consent.

2. Yes; of course.

3. You're welcome; polite response to being thanked.

Synonyms

• (noncommittal yes): OK, yes
• (response to being thanked): of course

Translations

References

• 1996, T.F. Hoad, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Etymology, Oxford University Press, →ISBN

Anagrams

• U.S.-er, US'er, rues, useR, U.S.er, user, Ruse, Ersu, Rues, U.S.'er, Reus, suer, ruse, ures, US-er, ERUs

Danish

Adjective

sure

1. inflection of sur:
   1. definite singular
   2. plural

Finnish

Verb

sure

1. inflection of surra:
   1. present active indicative connegative
   2. second-person singular present imperative
   3. second-person singular present active imperative connegative

Anagrams

• resu, seur.

French

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -yʁ

Adjective

sure

1. feminine singular of sur

Adjective

sure

1. Alternative spelling of sûre

Further reading

• “sure”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• rues
• ruse, rusé
• suer
• user

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsu.re/
• Rhymes: -ure
• Hyphenation: sù‧re

Noun

sure

1. plural of sura

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old French seür, from Latin sēcūrus. Doublet of siker.

Alternative forms

• sur, seur, seure, sewre, sewr, sewere, suer, suere, soure, suir, sere, sore

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɛu̯r/, /siu̯r/, /suːr/

Adjective

sure (comparative seurer)

1. safe, protected (not dangerous or harmful)
2. fortified, well-defended, protected; especially religiously
3. sure, certain, confirmed
4. sure-minded (certain of one's intent)
5. reliable, of good quality
6. sound, sturdy, hardy

Derived terms

• surely
• surement
• suren
• surenes
• surete

Descendants

• English: sure, sho, sho'
  • → Kashubian: szur (United States)
  • →⇒ Irish: siúráil
  • → Welsh: siwr
• Scots: shuir

References

• “seur, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-21.

Adverb

sure

1. sure, surely, with no doubt or uncertainty
2. entirely, wholly, fully
3. While protecting something, with protection
4. With a tight grasp or grip

Descendants

• English: sure
• Scots: shuir

References

• “seur, adv.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-21.

Etymology 2

Verb

sure

1. Alternative form of suren

Etymology 3

Noun

sure

1. Alternative form of sire

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

From Arabic سُورَة (sūra, “chapter of the Qur'an”).

Alternative forms

• sura

Noun

sure m (definite singular suren, indefinite plural surer, definite plural surene)

1. (Islam) a sura (any of the 114 chapters of the Qur'an)

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Adjective

sure

1. definite singular of sur
2. plural of sur

References

• “sure” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “sure” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

Anagrams

• ruse, suer, ures

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

From Arabic سُورَة (sūra, “chapter of the Qur'an”).

Alternative forms

• sura

Noun

sure m (definite singular suren, indefinite plural surar, definite plural surane)

1. (Islam) a sura (any of the 114 chapters of the Qur'an)

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Adjective

sure

1. definite singular of sur
2. plural of sur

References

• “sure” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Anagrams

• ruse, suer

Old English

Etymology

From Germanic, related to sūr (“sour”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsuː.re/

Noun

sūre f

1. (botany) sorrel

Descendants

• Middle English: soure, sure, shoure
  • Yola: zour

Pali

Alternative forms

Noun

sure

1. vocative singular of surā (“a class of liquor”)

Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsure/

Adjective

sure

1. inflection of sur:
   1. genitive/dative feminine singular
   2. nominative/accusative/genitive/dative feminine/neuter plural

Swedish

Adjective

sure

1. definite natural masculine singular of sur

Turkish

Etymology

From Ottoman Turkish سوره (sure), from Arabic سُورَة (sūra).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /suːˈɾe/

Noun

sure (definite accusative sureyi, plural sureler)

1. sura

Declension