noun
1.
the male parent of a quadruped.
2.
a respectful term of address, now used only to a male sovereign.
3.
Archaic.
a.
a father or forefather.
b.
a person of importance or in a position of authority, as a lord.
verb (used with object)
4.
to beget; procreate as the father.
Origin:
1175–1225; Middle English < Old French (nominative singular) < Vulgar Latin *seior, for Latin senior senior (compare French monsieur orig., my lord, with sieur < *seiōr-, oblique stem of *seior)
1175–1225; Middle English < Old French (nominative singular) < Vulgar Latin *seior, for Latin senior senior (compare French monsieur orig., my lord, with sieur < *seiōr-, oblique stem of *seior)
Related forms
sire·less, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To sire
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Sire
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is yaff. Does it mean:
| chat, to converse |
| to bark; yelp. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
sire (saɪə) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a male parent, esp of a horse or other domestic animal |
| 2. | a respectful term of address, now used only in addressing a male monarch |
| 3. | obsolete a man of high rank |
| —vb | |
| 4. | (tr) (esp of a domestic animal) to father; beget |
| [C13: from Old French, from Latin senior an elder, from senex an old man] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
sire
c.1200, title placed before a name and denoting knighthood, from O.Fr. sire, from V.L. *seior, from L. senior "older, elder" (see senior). Standing alone and meaning "your majesty" it is attested from early 13c. General sense of "important elderly man" is from mid-14c.; that
of "father, male parent" is from mid-13c. The verb meaning "to beget, to be the sire of" is attested from 1610s, from the noun.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
He bragged of being the father of five, and said with a mischievous grin that he was keen to sire a sixth.
When sire finally rouses from his dreams, he leads his family on a stroll through the forest.
Estimation of genetic trends from cow and sire evaluations.
Crossbreds are animals whose sire and dam breeds are known but different.
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