herre

Danish

Etymology

Borrowed from Old Saxon hērro, cognate with German Herr, Old High German hēriro, hērro. The comparative form of hēr (“noble, venerable”), by analogy with Latin senior (“elder”). The word originally meant "grey, grey-haired" and descends from Proto-Germanic *hairaz (“grey”), making it cognate with Old English hār (English hoar), Old Norse hárr.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /hɛrə/,

Noun

herre c (singular definite herren, plural indefinite herrer)

1. (formal) gentleman (an adult male)
2. (formal) mister (a formal address of an adult male)

   in the indefinite and with a name always in the short form hr.

3. (historical) lord (a male person that rules in an area)
4. master (the owner of an animal or, historically, a human slave)

Declension

Derived terms

Adverb

herre

1. (informal) very
   • 2013, Katinka Maya Vår, Valget træffes, Katinkamaya forlag, →ISBN:

     ”Godt nok er han herre lækker, men chefens søn plejer trods alt ikke at have så voldsom en effekt på pigerne.”

     ”He may be really hot, but despite this, the boss' son does not usually have such violent an effect on the girls.”

Synonyms

• mega
• super

Derived terms

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English heorr, heorra, from Proto-Germanic *herzô (“hinge; door-hinge”).

Alternative forms

• har, harre, her, horre
• heorre (Early Middle English)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhɛr(ə)/, /ˈhar(ə)/

Noun

herre (plural herris or herren)

2. hinge (device a door pivots on)

   Synonyms: gemow, henge, hengel

3. (rare) bar (of a door)
4. (rare, figuratively) extreme point; extremity

Descendants

• English: har, harr, harre
• Scots: harr, herre, har
• Yola: harr, har

References

• “herre, n.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Etymology 2

From Old English hearra and Middle Dutch hēre, both from Old High German hērro, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *hairaz (“gray”). Doublet of hor (“hoar”).

Alternative forms

• herra, hærre, harre
• here, heri (Late Middle English)

Noun

herre (plural herres or herren)

2. lord, chief, master

Descendants

• English: her, here
• Scots: her, here, heir

References

• “herre, n.(2).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Etymology 3

Noun

herre

1. Alternative form of her (“hair”)

Etymology 4

Noun

herre

1. Alternative form of here (“army”)

Etymology 5

Pronoun

herre

1. Alternative form of hire (“her”)

Etymology 6

Adverb

herre

1. Alternative form of her (“here”)

Etymology 7

Determiner

herre

1. Alternative form of here (“her”)

Etymology 8

Adjective

herre

1. Alternative form of here: comparative degree of he (“high”)

Middle High German

Alternative forms

• hërre

Etymology

Inherited from Old High German hēriro, hērro (“grey, grey-haired”), the comparative form of hēr (“noble, venerable”).

Noun

hêrre m

1. master, lord

Declension

Descendants

• German: Herr

References

• Benecke, Georg Friedrich, Müller, Wilhelm, Zarncke, Friedrich (1863) “hêrre”, in Mittelhochdeutsches Wörterbuch: mit Benutzung des Nachlasses von Benecke‎, Stuttgart: S. Hirzel

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Old Norse herri, herra, from Old Saxon hērro, from Old High German hēriro, hērro, the comparative form of hēr (“noble, venerable”) (German hehr), by analogy with Latin senior (“elder”). The Old High German word originally meant "grey, grey-haired", and descends from Proto-Germanic *hairaz (“grey”), making it cognate with Old English hār (English hoar), Old Norse hárr.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhêɾe/

Noun

herre m (definite singular herren, indefinite plural herrer, definite plural herrene)

1. gentleman, man

   Han kler seg som en virkelig herre.

   He dresses like a real gentleman.

   Mine damer og herrer!

   Ladies and gentlemen.

2. master, lord, ruler

   Knut den mektige var herre over Norge på 1000-tallet.

   Cnut the Great was ruler of Norway in the 11th century.

Derived terms

References

• “herre” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

From Old Norse herra, herri, from Old Saxon hērro, from Old High German hēriro, hērro, the comparative form of hēr (“noble, venerable”) (German hehr), by analogy with Latin senior (“elder”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /²hær.rə/

Noun

herre m (definite singular herren, indefinite plural herrar, definite plural herrane)

1. gentleman, man

   Mine damer og herrar!

   Ladies and gentlemen!

2. master, lord, ruler

Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Old Norse hérna.

Alternative forms

• herne

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhær.rə/

Determiner

herre

1. this

   Synonym: denne

   Coordinate term: derre

References

• “herre” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Norse herri, herra, from Old Saxon hērro, from Old High German hēriro, hērro, the comparative form of hēr (“noble, venerable”) (German hehr), by analogy with Latin senior (“elder”). The Old High German word originally meant "grey, grey-haired", and descends from Proto-Germanic *hairaz (“grey”), making it cognate with Old English hār (English hoar), Old Norse hárr.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /²hɛrːɛ/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

herre c

1. a man, a gentleman, a sir (respected man, respectful way to refer to a man)

   mina damer och herrar

   (my) ladies and gentlemen

   Vi talade med en äldre herre

   We spoke to an older gentleman

   I fjol så gick jag med herrarna i hagen

   Last year I went with the men to the pasture (traditional song)

   Hon fick herrbesök igår

   She had a gentleman caller (male visitor) yesterday ("She got gentleman visit yesterday" – tongue-in-cheek implies a romantic liaison)

   • 1974, Björn Afzelius (lyrics and music), “En kungens man [A man of the king ]”:

     Då möter hon en herre, på en häst med yvig man. Han säger: "Jag är kungens man, så jag tar vad jag vill ha. Och du är alltför vacker, för att inte ha nån [någon] man. Följ med mig in i skogen [så] ska jag visa vad jag kan."

     Then she meets a man , on a horse with a bushy mane. He says: "I am a man of the king, so I take what I want. And you are much too beautiful, to not have a man. Come with me into the forest and I will show you what I can do ."

2. a lord, a master ((male) person with more or less unrestricted authority over another person or group of people (or having control over a thing, by extension))

   folk och herrar

   people and lords

   slavens herre

   the master of the slave

   vara sin egen herre

   be one's own master (idiomatic)

   Ja, min herre och mästare. Säg vad jag ska göra så gör jag det, ty du är herre över mig.

   Yes, my lord and master. Tell me what to do and I will do it, for you are the master of me.

   Skeletor vill bli herre över universum

   Skeletor wants to become the master of the universe

   Människan vill göra sig till herre över naturkrafterna

   man wants to make himself master of the forces of nature

   Ingen kan tjäna två herrar

   No man can serve two masters (Matthew 6:24)

3. (when capitalized: Herren) The Lord

   HERREN är min herde, mig skall intet fattas

   The LORD my shepherd; I shall not want. (Psalms 23:1)

Declension

Derived terms

Related terms

• Herran
• herr

References

• herre in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• herre in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• herre in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)