-ure|jʊə(r)|a suffix,repr.F. -ure, L. -ūra (henceIt.,Sp.,Pg.-ura), occurring in many words of F. or L. origin. In L. -ūra primarily denoted action or process, hence result of this, office, etc.; after further development in F., the use was extended inEng., and denoted action or process, the result or product of this (e.g.enclosure, figure, picture, scripture), function, state, rank, dignity, or office (e.g.judicature, prefecture, prelature), a collective body (e.g.legislature), that by which the action is effected (e.g.clausure, closure, ligature, nouriture), etc. Many words were adopted from F. at an early date, as figure (a 1225–), scripture (a 1300–), nouriture (c 1374–), censure, closure, investiture, juncture, pressure, tonsure (1380–), fissure, scissure (c 1400–), etc.; while a few others, as clausure (1398), plicature (1578), mercature (a 1620), aperture (1649–), were directly adapted from L. The suffix was also added toEng.stems of L. origin, giving composure (1599–), disposure (1569–), exposure (1605–), or to true L. stems, whence vomiture (1598),†beneplaciture (1662), ructure (1657–69), unigeniture (1659–); and was further used with stems of Romance origin, as in†bankrupture (1617–22),†disembogure (1653),†praisure (1622), and with native or other bases, as in†clefture (1545, 1596),†raisure (1613, 1677), and wafture (1601–).To this form various F. suffixes (as -eure, -ir, -or, -our) have been assimilated inEng., as in pleasure, soilure,†trap(p)ure (trappern.¹), treasure, velure.