So, the other week, I was a bit under the weather, you know, just cooped up at home. Nothing serious, just one of those things that makes you want to do absolutely nothing. After flipping through TV channels for what felt like an eternity, I picked up this old novel that’s been sitting on my shelf, gathering dust. Can’t even remember where I got it from.
Anyway, I’m reading along, and this word jumps out at me: factory. Nothing special, right? But then, a few pages later, another one: territory. And it just kinda clicked in my head, this “-tory” ending. Started wondering how many more there were. You know how your mind just latches onto something silly when you’re bored?
My Little “-tory” Word Collection
Well, mine did. I grabbed a notepad – one of those old ones from the back of a drawer – and decided to jot down any word ending in “tory” that I could think of or stumble upon. It turned into a bit of a game, just for myself. Kept me busy for an afternoon, that’s for sure. I even started looking through other books on the shelf, like a detective on a very, very low-stakes case.
It was pretty interesting what I came up with. Some were super common, words I use all the time without a second thought. Others were a bit more, I don’t know, formal sounding? Here’s a bunch I managed to collect:
- History – well, that’s a big one, isn’t it?
- Story – and this one too, funny how they’re related sometimes.
- Victory – always a good one to hear, that is.
- Laboratory – spent some time in a few of those in my younger days. Not always fun!
- Directory – used to have massive phone books, all directories! Now it’s all online.
- Inventory – keeping track of stuff, always a chore, whether at home or work.
- Observatory – for looking at the stars, pretty cool. Wish I had one.
- Dormitory – brings back college memories for some, I bet. Crowded, noisy places.
- Satisfactory – not great, not bad, just… satisfactory. Sometimes that’s all you need.
- Mandatory – the stuff you just gotta do, no way around it.
- Predatory – a bit of a darker one, that, makes you think of nature documentaries.
- Migratory – like birds heading south for the winter. Makes me wish I could do the same!
- Refectory – remembered this one from an old movie, like a dining hall.
There were more, of course, but those are the ones that stick in my mind. It’s funny, you see these words all the time, but you don’t really see them, if you know what I mean. Until you start looking for a pattern, then they’re everywhere. Some of them describe a place, others an action, or a quality.
It wasn’t some grand academic exercise, nothing like that, just a way to pass the time and flex the old brain cells a little. Made me realize there are all sorts of little patterns in language that we just skim over in our day-to-day lives. Anyway, that was my little adventure with words ending in “tory.” Maybe you’ll start noticing them now too! It’s a simple thing, but kind of neat.