sundry
/ˈsʌnd.ɹi/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.76 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
More than one or two but not very many; a number of, several.
adj
Consisting of an assortment of different kinds; miscellaneous.
adj
Chiefly preceded by a number or an adjective like many: of two or more similar people or things: not the same as other persons or things of the same nature; different, distinct, separate. (Contrast sense 5.2.)
Archaic
adj
Relating to a single person or thing as opposed to more than one; individual, respective.
Obsolete
noun
Example Sentences
- "Dearely beloued brethren, the ſcripture moueth vs in ſondrye places, to acknowledge and confeſſe our manyfolde ſynnes and wyckedneſſe, […]"
- "Ennius an olde auncient Latin poet, & of great authoritee, whom Cicero verie often times citeth in ſondrie his werkes."
- "Sondry & reaſonable be the cauſes vvhy learned men haue vſed to offer and dedicate ſuch vvorkes as they put abrode, to ſome ſuch perſonage as they thinke fitteſt, either in reſpect of abilitie of defenſe, or ſkill for iugement, or priuate regard of kindeneſſe and dutie."
- "VVith this ſtrange vertue, / He hath a heauenly guift of Propheſie, / And ſundry Bleſſings hang about his Throne, / That ſpeake him full of Grace."
- "The VVater Souldier hath divers and ſundry long narrovv leaves pointed ſet cloſe together ſomevvhat like unto the leaves of Aloes for the forme, […]"
- "[H]e cleared a ſemi-circular ſpace before her chair, thrice vvith the moſt profound reverence bovved to her, thrice turned himſelf around vvith ſundry grimaces, and then fiercely planted himſelf at her ſide."
Etymology
The adjective is derived from Middle English sondri, sondry, syndry (“individually; occasionally; separately; variously”) [and other forms], from Old English syndriġ (“alone, distinct, separate, single; sundry, various; concerning a single person, own, particular, peculiar, private; exceptional, remarkable, set apart, special; (distributive) one each”) [and other forms], from sundor (“differently; privately; separate, separately”) (from Proto-Germanic *sundraz (“alone, isolated; separate”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *senH- (“apart; for oneself; without”)) + -iġ (“suffix forming adjectives”). The English word is analysable as sunder + -y. The noun and pronoun are derived from the adjective. Cognates * Dutch zonderlijk (“separate”) (rare), Dutch afzonderlijk (“separate”) * Low German sunderig (“single; special”) * Middle High German sunderig (“private; separate; special”) * Swedish söndrig (“broken; tattered”)
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈsʌnd.ɹi/
- British English: /ˈsʌnd.ɹi/
Usage
Inflected Forms
sindry (alternative)
sundries (plural)
sundries (archaic)
more sundry (comparative)
most sundry (superlative)
sindry (alternative, Scotland)