Words That End In 'ary' Trivia Quiz

Answer: Necessary

Necessary is derived from the Latin word necessarius, meaning needful, and has been in use in English since the fourteenth century. Synonyms include requisite and indispensable. An example of a sentence using the word is 'when travelling, only take what is necessary'.

Answer: Dictionary

A lexicographer creates dictionaries, those useful items which explain the meanings of words and help you spell them correctly. The name of dictionary for this type of reference book has its roots in Latin - dictum means 'thing said'. This is sometimes heard in legal proceedings where 'obiter dictum' means 'other things said'.

The name of dictionary dates from the early sixteenth century.

Answer: Aviary

Avis in the Latin name for bird, and aviarium refers to the place in which they are kept. Aviaries usually house a number of birds and can be seen at zoos or at the homes of people who like to keep birds as pets. Some birds have specific names for their aviaries, including doves which live in a columbarium.

Answer: Dromedary

The clue is the nickname of the camel and the dromedary is the variety with one hump, also called the Arabian camel. The two-humped, or Bactrian, camel is from Asia and is heaver and hairier than the dromedary. The name is derived from Latin, with dromedarius meaning 'kind of camel'. It dates from the late thirteenth century.

Answer: Elementary

Elementary derives from element, originally the Latin word elementum, referring to something in its most basic form. By the fourteenth century, elementary was being used to mean 'belonging to the elements', with the meaning of something rudimentary dating from the sixteenth century. It was another century before elementary began to mean simple.

Answer: Exemplary

This passed into English from the French word exemplaire but was originally the Latin word exemplaris meaning pattern or model, much as it does now. As I'm sure you've realised, example comes from the same root. It is often used to refer to behaviour - someone who behaves in an exemplary way is a role model worthy of emulating.

Answer: Plenary

Plenary is derived from the Latin word plenus, meaning full or complete. The word became plenarius in Mediaeval times, and plenarie in the fifteenth century. It has been used to described an assembly which is attended by everyone who should - a plenary session - since the early sixteenth century.

The secondary meaning, of having full power, is rather later, dating from the first half of the nineteenth century.

Answer: Apiary

An apiary is a home for bees, so I hope the 'buzz' reference in the clue made you think of them. Apiaries usually have a collection of beehives for apiculture - a means of obtaining honey for sale as the bees create more than they need. The word dates from the seventeenth century and is a derivation of the Latin word for the bee, which is apis.

Answer: Apothecary

This is word which has acquired a narrower meaning over the years. The original Latin word - apotheca - referred to a storehouse, then became apothecarius in late Latin, meaning storekeeper. By the middle of the fourteenth century the name now usually meant a shopkeeper who stocked drugs with the current meaning adopted by the seventeenth century.

In the UK, the word used is often chemist although pharmacist is clearer and avoids confusion with the wider meaning of chemist.

Answer: Penitentiary

This is an interesting word with two meanings. The original sense was as a place of punishment for misdeeds contrary to church laws - literally, somewhere to undergo penance. It also described the churchman who granted penance - he was also a penitentiary.

These meanings date from fifteenth century. By the early nineteenth century, the meaning had morphed into representing any place of punishment, particularly in the USA.