sir

English Online Dictionary. What means sir‎? What does sir mean?

English

Alternative forms

• saar (India)

Etymology

From Middle English sir, unstressed form of sire, borrowed from Old French sire (“master, sir, lord”), from Latin senior (“older, elder”), from senex (“old”). Doublet of seigneur, seignior, senhor, senior, señor, senyor, signore, and sire.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈsɜː(ɹ)/
• (General American) enPR: ˈsûr, IPA^(key): /ˈsɝ/
• (Scotland) IPA^(key): /ˈsɪɹ/
• (unstressed form) IPA^(key): /sə(ɹ)/
• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)

Noun

sir (plural sirs)

1. A man of a higher rank or position.
2. A respectful term of address to a man of higher rank or position, particularly:
   1. to a knight or other low member of the peerage.

   2. to a superior military officer.

      Coordinate term: ma'am

   3. to a teacher.

      Coordinate term: miss

3. A respectful term of address to an adult male (often older), especially if his name or proper title is unknown.

   Coordinate terms: madam, ma'am, miss

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Verb

sir (third-person singular simple present sirs, present participle sirring, simple past and past participle sirred)

1. (transitive, informal) To address another individual using "sir".

   Coordinate terms: ma'am, mam

Translations

See also

• lord
• (titles) (of a man): Mr (Mister, mister), Sir (sir); (of a woman): Ms (Miz, mizz), Mrs (Mistress, mistress), Miss (miss), Dame (dame), Madam (madam, ma'am); (of a non-binary person): Mx (Mixter); (see also): Dr (Doctor, doctor) ^{(Category: en:Titles)}

Further reading

• “sir”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “sir”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• Sri, IRS, RSI, ISR, IRs, Isr., R.I.S., RIs, SRI, R. I. S., RIS

Ainu

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /siɾ/, [ʃiɾ]

Noun

sir (Kana spelling シㇼ)

1. appearance
2. earth
3. land, mountain

Chinese

Etymology 1

From English sir.

Alternative forms

• ⿰⿳⿰SIR木阝 — humorous

Pronunciation

Noun

sir (Cantonese)

1. an honorific to a man senior than oneself, especially a teacher or a police officer

   陳sir／陈sir [Cantonese]  ―  can^4-2 soe⁴ [Jyutping]  ―  Mr. Chan

   • 我聽講我哋三樓同埋四樓嗰個譚sir呀周sir呀，噉樣佢哋已經申請緊 [Cantonese, trad.]
     我听讲我哋三楼同埋四楼嗰个谭sir呀周sir呀，噉样佢哋已经申请紧 [Cantonese, simp.]

     ngo⁵ teng¹ gong² ngo⁵ dei⁶ saam¹ lau^4-2 tung⁴ maai⁴ sei³ lau^4-2 go² go³ taam^4-2 soe⁴ aa³ zau¹ soe⁴ aa³, gam² joeng^6-2 keoi⁵ dei⁶ ji⁵ ging¹ san¹ cing² gan² [Jyutping]

     I hear that Mr. Tam on the 3rd floor and Mr. Chau on the fourth floor have already applied [for telephone installation].

Related terms

• 阿Sir

Etymology 2

Romanisation of 瀡 (soe⁴), influenced by spelling of English sir. Not related to English sir semantically.

Pronunciation

Verb

sir (Cantonese)

1. Nonstandard form of 瀡 (soe⁴).

Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃɪɾʲ/

Verb

sir (present analytic sireann, future analytic sirfidh, verbal noun sireadh, past participle sirthe)

1. (literary) travel through, traverse
2. (literary) seek out, have recourse to
3. (literary) seek, ask for

   An té a shireas ní ar neach. ― Whoever asks someone for something.

4. (literary) beseech, implore

   Sirim an tAthair. ― I beseech the Father.

Conjugation

Javanese

Romanization

sir

1. Romanization of ꦱꦶꦂ

Maltese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsiːr/

Verb

sir

1. second-person singular imperative of sar

Middle English

Noun

sir

1. Alternative form of sire

Romanian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English sir.

Noun

sir m (uncountable)

1. sir

Declension

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish sirid (“to traverse, seek”). Cognate with Manx shirr.

Verb

sir (past shir, future siridh, verbal noun sireadh, past participle sirte)

1. seek, search, look for

   Synonym: lorg

Mutation

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *syrъ, derived from "sour milk".

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sîr/

Noun

sȉr m (Cyrillic spelling си̏р)

1. cheese

Declension

Derived terms

• sȋrnī

Slovene

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *syrъ, derived from "sour milk".

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sír/

Noun

sȉr m inan

1. cheese

Inflection

Derived terms

• síriti

Further reading

• “sir”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU (in Slovene), 2014–2025

Uzbek

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Russian сыр (syr).

Noun

sir (plural sirlar)

1. cheese

Declension

Synonyms

pishloq

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Arabic سِرّ (sirr).

Noun

sir (plural sirlar)

1. secret

Declension

Welsh

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle English shire.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /siːr/
  • (South Wales, colloquial also) IPA^(key): /ʃiːr/
• Rhymes: -iːr
• Homophone: sur (South Wales)

Noun

sir f (plural siroedd, not mutable)

1. county, shire

   Synonym: swydd

Derived terms

• sirol (“relating to a county”)

References

Zay

Etymology

Cognate to Silt'e [script needed] (sa:r).

Noun

sir

1. grass

References

• Initial SLLE Survey of the Zway Area by Klaus Wedekind and Charlotte Wedekind, SIL International 2002, p. 6 (sil.org)

Zazaki

Etymology

Compare Persian سیر (sir, “garlic”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈsiɾ]
• Hyphenation: sir

Noun

sir

1. garlic