Link Centre Dictionary

Tory

UK/ˈtɔː.ɹi/ US/ˈtoɹ.i/ fairly common uk us

noun

1.

an American who favored the British side during the American Revolution

2.

a supporter of traditional political and social institutions against the forces of reform; a political conservative

Origin

From Irish tóraí (“pursuer”), from tóir (“pursuit”). The first recorded use in English is from a 1646 letter by James Butler, Earl of Ormond, to a Colonel O'Brien, describing bandits and thieves on main roadways.

Related words

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.