wir

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word wir. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word wir, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say wir in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word wir you have here. The definition of the word wir will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofwir, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

German

Alternative forms

  • Wir (pluralis majestatis)
  • -wa, wa (rare, colloquial)

Etymology

From Middle High German wir, from Old High German wir, from Proto-West Germanic *wiʀ. Compare Low German wi, Dutch wij, English we, Danish vi, Icelandic vér, Gothic 𐍅𐌴𐌹𐍃 (weis).

Pronunciation

  • (standard) IPA(key): /viːɐ̯/
  • Rhymes: -iːɐ̯
  • Audio:(file)
  • Audio:(file)
  • (colloquially in unstressed position) IPA(key): /vɐ/, /mɐ/

Pronoun

wir

  1. we

Declension

  • The genitive case unser is used more and more rarely in modern German.
  • While the genitive of a personal pronoun does express ownership, it must not be confused with a possessive pronoun. While possessive pronouns such as unser are put in front of the noun they relate to and follow the inflection rules of adjectives, the genitive form of a personal pronoun has only one form, which is not further inflected. Additionally, personal pronouns in the genitive can be put after the word they relate to.

Further reading

  • wir” in Duden online
  • wir” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Middle High German

Etymology

From Old High German wir, from Proto-West Germanic *wiʀ, from Proto-Germanic *wīz, *wiz.

Pronunciation

Pronoun

wir

  1. we: nominative plural of ich

Descendants

  • Bavarian:
  • German: wir

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *wīraz. Cognate with Middle Low German wīre, and related to late Old Norse víravirki (filigree work), Old High German wiara.

Pronunciation

Noun

wīr m (nominative plural wīras)

  1. wire
  2. (botany) myrtle

Descendants

Old High German

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *wiʀ, from Proto-Germanic *wīz, *wiz.

Pronunciation

Pronoun

wir

  1. we: nominative plural of ih

Descendants

Polish

Polish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia pl

Etymology

Inherited from Old Polish wir.

Pronunciation

Noun

wir m inan

  1. vortex
    Synonyms: kłębowisko, odmęt
    wir polarnypolar vortex
  2. whirlpool
    Synonyms: topiel, odmęt
  3. whirl
    Synonyms: kłębowisko, kotłowisko
  4. (meteorology) swirl
    Synonym: trąba powietrzna
  5. eddy
  6. gyre
    Wir Morza BeaufortaBeaufort Gyre
  7. (meteorology) whirlwind

Declension

Derived terms

nouns
verbs

Further reading

  • wir in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • wir in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Scots

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

wir

  1. simple past tense of be
Usage notes

Wir is used with plural pronouns, and wis is used otherwise.

Etymology 2

Determiner

wir

  1. Alternative form of our

References

Welsh

Noun

wir

  1. Soft mutation of gwir.

Mutation

Mutated forms of gwir
radical soft nasal aspirate
gwir wir ngwir unchanged

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.