a combination of -ate1and -ory1or -ory2, used infrequently as an independent suffix with the same senses as -ory1and -ory2: affirmatory; observatory.
Origin: < L -ātōrius,-a,-um, orig. the termination of adjectives formed with -tōrius (see -tory1, tory2) and verbs whose stems ended in -ā-; reanalyzed in English in the same way as -ator
