dier

See also: Dier

English

Etymology

From die +‎ -er.

Noun

dier (plural diers)

  1. One who dies.
    • Don DeLillo, White Noise
      It's a way of controlling death. A way of gaining the ultimate upper hand. Be the killer for a change. Let someone else be the dier.
    • 2006, Shankar Mokashi Punekar, Awadheswari
      Since other languages are structurally constrained to say who it was who died and since the original leaves the identity of the dier unexpressed, any translation in the target language is going to be incorrect.

Usage notes

  • Used in abstract and philosophical contexts, rather than in discussing a known individual who has died. Compare deceased.

Anagrams

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch dier, from Middle Dutch dier, from Old Dutch *dior, from Proto-Germanic *deuzą, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewsóm.

Noun

dier (plural diere)

  1. animal
  2. beast; brute

Dutch

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /diːr/, /diər/

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch dier, from Old Dutch *dior, from Proto-Germanic *deuzą, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewsóm.

Noun

dier n (plural dieren, diminutive diertje n)

  1. animal
Derived terms

Etymology 2

Determiner

dier

  1. (demonstrative) her, their, the latter's (genitive feminine singular and genitive plural of die).
    De verdachte heeft zich samen met een vriend, haar dochter en dier vriend schuldig gemaakt aan de moord op haar echtgenoot [...] (from a verdict of the Court of Justice at 's-Gravenhage, 2011 )
    The accused (woman) is guilty of having murdered her husband in cooperation with a friend, her daughter and the latter's friend [...]
Usage notes

Dier is used in a similar way as the possessive determiners haar and hun. It is rare in spoken Dutch, but used occasionally in writing to avoid confusion. Compare:

  • Zij vertelde van haar dochter en haar man. ― She told about her daughter and her (own) husband.
  • Zij vertelde van haar dochter en dier man. ― She told about her daughter and the latter's husband.

The corresponding masculine and neuter singular form is diens.

Etymology 3

Adjective

dier (comparative dierder, superlative dierst)

  1. (dialectal, archaic) Alternative form of duur
Derived terms

Anagrams

Elfdalian

Etymology

From Old Norse þeir, þær, from Proto-Germanic *þai. Cognate with Swedish de.

Pronoun

dier

  1. they

Luxembourgish

Etymology

From Old High German durri, from Proto-Germanic *þursuz. Cognate with German dürr, Dutch dor, Swedish torr, Icelandic þurr.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /diːə̯/
  • Rhymes: -iːə
  • Homophone: Dier

Adjective

dier (masculine dieren, neuter diert, comparative méi dier, superlative am diersten)

  1. (of plants and trees) dry, dead

Declension

Middle Dutch

Etymology 1

From Old Dutch *dior, from Proto-Germanic *deuzą.

Noun

dier n

  1. animal
Inflection

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Descendants

Etymology 2

See etymology on the main entry.

Determiner

dier

  1. inflection of die:
    1. feminine genitive and dative singular
    2. genitive plural

Further reading

  • “dier”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
  • “dier (I)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, 1929
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