Meaning

noun an American who favored the British side during the American Revolution

noun a member of political party in Great Britain that has been known as the Conservative Party since 1832; was the opposition party to the Whigs

noun a supporter of traditional political and social institutions against the forces of reform; a political conservative

originFrom Irish tóraí (“pursuer”), from tóir (“pursuit”). The first recorded use in English is from a 1646 letter by James Butler, Earl of Ormond, to a Colonel O'Brien, describing bandits and thieves on main roadways.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0