-oriousa compound suffix forming adjs., consisting of -ous (L. -ōsus), added to L. -ōri- in ōri-us, -a, -um(see -ory). Instances of this occur in med.L., as in victōri-ōs-us, F. victori-eux victorious, f.victōria victory; but most of the Eng. examples are directly formed upon L. adjs., actual or possible, in -ōri-us; e.g.censorious, meritorious, notorious, proditorious. The sense is either the same as, or closely akin to, that of adjs. in -ory.