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Tory

2 stages from Irish to English.

Today it means a member or supporter of the British Conservative Party

Where does the word "tory" come from? It comes from Irish tóraidhe, adopted directly into English (1680s).

1
Stage 1 of 2
tóraidhe
Irish · 1640s
"outlaw"
'pursued man, outlaw', from tóir 'pursuit'; applied to Irish Catholics dispossessed in the Cromwellian conquest who took to banditry
2
Stage 2 of 2
Tory
English · 1680s
"royalist politician"
in the Exclusion Crisis of 1679-81, opponents mocked supporters of the Catholic James, Duke of York, as 'Tories', Irish bandits; the name stuck to Britain's Conservatives
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Tory’s story begins in Irish: tóraidhe meant “outlaw.” 'pursued man, outlaw', from tóir 'pursuit'; applied to Irish Catholics dispossessed in the Cromwellian conquest who took to banditry. It reached English by 1680s as Tory. In the Exclusion Crisis of 1679-81, opponents mocked supporters of the Catholic James, Duke of York, as 'Tories', Irish bandits; the name stuck to Britain's Conservatives. Today, tory means a member or supporter of the British Conservative Party.