sire

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French sire, the nominative singular of seignor; from Latin senior, from senex

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /saɪə(ɹ)/
• Rhymes: -aɪə(ɹ)

As King of England, William III would be addressed as Your Majesty or sire.

Darley Arabian, one of the foundation sires of the thoroughbred breed of horse.

Noun

sire (plural sires)

1. A lord, master, or other person in authority, most commonly used vocatively: formerly in speaking to elders and superiors, later only when addressing a sovereign.
2. A male animal; a stud, especially a horse or dog, that has fathered another.
3. (obsolete) A father; the head of a family; the husband.
   • Shakespeare

     And raise his issue, like a loving sire.

4. (obsolete) A creator; a maker; an author; an originator.
   • Shelley

     [He] was the sire of an immortal strain.

Verb

sire (third-person singular simple present sires, present participle siring, simple past and past participle sired)

1. (transitive, of a male) to procreate; to father, beget, impregnate.
   • 1994, Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom, Abacus 2010, p. 6:

     In these travels, my father sired thirteen children in all, four boys and nine girls.

Anagrams

• EIRs, Eris, Iser, SIer, Seri, eirs, ires, reis, rise

Etymology

From German zieren.

Verb

sire

1. (archaic) adorn
2. (archaic, by extension, especially in the passive participle) endow with a favorable quality

References

• “sire” in Ordbog over det danske Sprog

Etymology

From Old French sire (nominative form), from Vulgar Latin *seior (used as a term of address), a contracted form of Latin senior (compare French seigneur, derived from the accusative form), perhaps influenced by maior. Doublet of senior.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /siʁ/
• Rhymes: -iʁ

Noun

sire m (plural sires)

1. (obsolete) sire (term of respect)
2. (obsolete) lord

Further reading

• “sire” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Anagrams

• ries

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French sire. See also sere. Doublet of signore.

Noun

sire m (invariable)

1. king, monarch

   only when addressing a sovereign

Synonyms

• re, sovrano, monarca, maestà

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsi.rə/

Noun

sire m

1. nominative singular of sieur