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Origin and history of succor

succor(n.)

c. 1200, socour, earlier socours "aid, help," from Anglo-French succors "help, aid," Old French socors, sucurres "aid, help, assistance" (Modern French secours), from Medieval Latin succursus "help, assistance," from past participle of Latin succurrere "run to help, hasten to the aid of." This is from assimilated form of sub "up to" (see sub-) + currere "to run" (from PIE root *kers- "to run").

The final -s was mistaken in English as a plural inflection and dropped late 13c. The meaning "one who aids or helps" is from c. 1300. Stanyhurst's "Aeneid" has succoress "a female helper." The story that speakeasy queen "Texas" Guinan once greeted her lawyer with "Hello, succor" is, hélas, unconfirmed.

succor(v.)

late 13c., socouren, "to help or relieve when in difficulty," from Old French secorer, succurre "to help, assist" (Modern French secourir), from Latin succurrere "to help, assist" (see succor (n.)). Related: Succored; succoring; succorable.

also from late 13c.

Entries linking to succor

succour

chiefly British English spelling of succor (q.v.); for spelling, see -or.

*kers-

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to run."

It might form all or part of: car; career; cargo; caricature; cark; carpenter; carriage; carrier; carry; charabanc; charette; charge; chariot; concourse; concur; concurrent; corral; corridor; corsair; courant; courier; course; currency; current; curriculum; cursive; cursor; cursory; discharge; discourse; encharge; excursion; hussar; incur; intercourse; kraal; miscarry; occur; precursor; recourse; recur; succor.

It might also be the source of: Greek -khouros "running;" Latin currere "to run, move quickly;" Lithuanian karšiu, karšti "go quickly;"Old Irish and Middle Welsh carr "cart, wagon," Breton karr "chariot," Welsh carrog "torrent;" Old Norse horskr "swift."

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Trends of succor

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

More to explore

relief
late 14c., "alleviation of distress, hunger, sickness, etc; state of being relieved; that which mitigates or removes" (pain, grief, evil, etc.)," from Anglo-French relif, from Old French relief "assistance," literally "a raising, that which is lifted;" from stressed stem of relev
ministration
mid-14c., ministracioun, "the action of ministering or serving, the rendering of personal service or aid," from Old French ministration or directly from Latin ministrationem (nominative ministratio), noun of action from past-participle stem of ministrare "to serve, attend, wait u
help
Old English helpan "to help, support, succor; benefit, do good to; cure, amend" (transitive, class III strong verb; past...
aid
early 15c., aide, "war-time tax," also "help, support, assistance," from Old French aide, earlier aiudha "aid, help, assistance," from Late Latin adiuta, noun use of fem. of adiutus, past participle of Latin adiuvare "to give help to," from ad "to" (see ad-) + iuvare "to help, gi
mercy
late 12c., "God's forgiveness of his creatures' offenses," from Old French mercit, merci (9c.) "reward, gift; kindness, grace, pity," from Latin mercedem (nominative merces) "reward, wages, pay, hire" (in Vulgar Latin "favor, pity;" in Medieval Latin "thanks; grace"), from merx (
solace
"comfort in grief; that which brings consolation," c. 1300, solas, from Old French solaz "pleasure, entertainment, enjoyment; solace, comfort," from Latin solacium "a soothing, assuaging; comfort, consolation," from solatus, past participle of solari "to console, soothe," from a
assist
early 15c., assisten, "to help, aid, give assistance or support to in some undertaking or effort," from Old French assister "to stand by, help, put, place, assist" (14c.), from Latin assistere "stand by, take a stand near, attend," from assimilated form of ad "to" (see ad-) + sis
stasis
in pathology, "a stoppage of circulation," 1745, from medical Latin, a specialized use of Greek stasis "a standing still, a standing; the posture of standing; a position, a point of the compass; position, state, or condition of anything;" also "a party, a company, a sect," especi
comfort
late 13c., conforten "to cheer up, console, soothe when in grief or trouble," from Old French conforter "to comfort, to solace; to help, strengthen," from Late Latin confortare "to strengthen much" (used in Vulgate), from assimilated form of Latin com-, here perhaps an intensive

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