What does succour mean?
Succour means help or assistance offered to someone who is in danger, hardship, or distress. As a noun, it usually denotes the act or benefit of such aid, as in “the promise of succour”; as a verb, it means to help or relieve someone in need. The word has a formal, often literary tone and is especially associated with emergency relief, rescue, and support for people in danger. It appears in established expressions such as “give succour to” and “in need of succour.” In American English, the spelling succor is generally preferred, although succour is also understood. The word is more often encountered in writing than in everyday conversation, and its slightly old-fashioned character can lend weight to accounts of humanitarian aid, conflict, or hardship. Although it may sound formal, it conveys a direct and practical idea: assistance reaching a person or community that cannot easily help itself.
Help, assistance, or relief given to someone in difficulty, danger, or distress.
"Medical supplies and other succour finally reached the remote village."
Usually treated as a mass noun and commonly used in formal or literary contexts.
To help, assist, or relieve someone in danger or need.
"The airlift succoured hundreds of people stranded by the floods."
Formal or literary; especially associated with rescue and humanitarian relief.
The plural is grammatically possible but uncommon, since the noun is ordinarily used as a mass noun.
"The novel presents the hero's many succours as a series of quiet acts of kindness."
Succour’s Latin ancestor literally means “run to help”—a vivid image of rushing to someone’s aid.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does succour come from?
The word entered English through Old French succour, borrowed from Latin succorere, “to run to help.” Latin succorere was formed from suc- (“under”) and currere (“to run”), reflecting the image of running to someone in distress. The English form developed in the Middle English period, with the modern spelling reflecting later French and English conventions.
Related word forms
How succour is actually used
The noun is formal and often literary, while the verb has a similarly elevated tone and is especially common in accounts of rescue, conflict, and humanitarian relief. The noun is usually treated as a mass noun.