sir

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

• enPR: sûr, Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)
• (UK, General Australian) IPA^(key): /sɜː(ɹ)/
• (US) IPA^(key): /sɝ/

  • Audio:

    (file)

• (Scotland) IPA^(key): /sɪɹ/
• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /søː/
• (fair–fur merger) enPR: sâr, Rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)
  • (Liverpool) IPA^(key): /seː/
  • (Humberside, Teesside) IPA^(key): /sɛː/
  • (Tanglish) IPA^(key): /sæ(ɾ)/
• (unstressed form) IPA^(key): /sə(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:
   • 1991 May 12, “Kidnapped!”, in Jeeves and Wooster, Series 2, Episode 5:

     Jeeves: Foreign travel often liberates emotions best kept in check, sir. The air of North America is notoriously stimulating in this regard, as witness the regrettable behavior of its inhabitants in 1776.
     B. Wooster: Hm? What happened in 1776, Jeeves?
     Jeeves: I prefer not to dwell on it, if it's convenient to you, sir.

   1. to a knight or other low member of the peerage.

      Just be careful. He gets whingy now if you don't address him as Sir John.

   2. to a superior military officer.

      Coordinate term: ma'am

      Sir, yes sir.

   3. to a teacher.

      Coordinate term: miss

      Here's my report, sir.

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

   Excuse me, sir, do you know the way to the art museum?

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

   Sir, yes, sir! —Don't you sir me, private! I work for a living!

   • 1997, Ed Solomon, Men in Black, spoken by Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones):

     Don't "Sir" me, young man, you have no idea who you're dealing with!

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.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “sir”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.

Anagrams

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /siɾ/, [ʃiɾ]

Noun

sir (Kana spelling シㇼ)

1. appearance
2. earth
3. land, mountain

Etymology 1

From English sir.

Etymology 2

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

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.

Romanization

sir

1. Romanization of ꦱꦶꦂ

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsiːr/

Verb

sir

1. second-person singular imperative of sar

Noun

sir

1. Alternative form of sire

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English sir.

Noun

sir m (uncountable)

1. sir

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

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sîr/

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Noun

sȉr m (Cyrillic spelling си̏р)

1. cheese

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sír/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

sȉr m inan

1. cheese

Further reading

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

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Russian сыр (syr).

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Arabic سِرّ (sirr).