Herr

== English == === Etymology 1 === As a title and German and Jewish surname (also found in Hungary and France), from the noun Herr (“gentleman, sir”). ==== Proper noun ==== Herr (plural Herrs) A surname. ==== Noun ==== Herr (plural Herren) Used as a courtesy title before the surname of a German-speaking man. Synonym: Hr. Coordinate term: Frau ===== Further reading ===== “Herr”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, →ISBN. “Herr”, in Collins English Dictionary. “Herr”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present. “Herr”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present. === Etymology 2 === As a Hmong surname, variant of Her, named after the Her clan, written in Chinese as 侯 (compare Hou). ==== Proper noun ==== Herr (plural Herrs) A surname. === Etymology 3 === (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.) ==== Proper noun ==== Herr An unincorporated community in Perry Township, Boone County, Indiana, United States. == German == === Alternative forms === Herre (archaic) Herꝛ (archaic; sometimes used in fraktur) (God): HErr, HERR === Etymology === From Middle High German hērre, hërre, from Old High German hēriro, hērro (“grey, grey-haired”), comparative of hēr (“noble, venerable”, whence German hehr), a semantic loan from Latin senior (“elder”). Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *hairaz (“grey”). Cognate with Dutch heer, Old English hār, English hoar, Old Norse hárr; compare also modern German hehr (“noble, holy”), herrschen (“to rule”). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /hɛr/, [hɛʁ], [hɛr], [hɛɐ̯] Homophones: Heer, hehr, her (common merger) === Noun === Herr m (weak, genitive Herrn or (archaic) Herren, plural Herren or (archaic) Herrn, diminutive Herrchen n or Herrlein n, feminine Herrin) (polite) man, gentleman (archaic) sir, lord; address of subservient respect Mr., mister, sir respectful address towards a man Herr Doktor von Braun ― Dr. von Braun Herr Professor ― Dr. (Ph.D.) / Professor Herr Bundeskanzler ― Mr. Chancellor or Sir Jawohl, Herr Oberst! ― Yes, sir! (Because Herr already is a respectful form of address, adding a term like sir is unnecessary.) (literally, “Yes, Mr. Colonel.”) Entschuldigung, der Herr? Sie haben Ihre Uhr verloren. ― Excuse me, sir? You've lost your watch. (standard usage between strangers) Was kann ich Ihnen bringen, meine Herren? ― What can I bring you, sirs? sehr geehrte Damen und Herren ― dear Sir or Madam (address in formal letters and e-mails) master, lord (generally denotes that someone has control over something, either in a generic or in a regal sense) (historical) the lowest title of German nobility Lord, God ==== Usage notes ==== Omitting Herr (or the female form Frau) when addressing a person with their last name is usually perceived as disrespectful, but it is more common when speaking about someone who is not present, except in formal contexts. However, there may be contextual pitfalls and regional differences, which makes it advisable for learners not to leave out Herr (and Frau). When people address each other with their last name, but say du to each other, the words Herr and Frau are always left out in most regions. In parts of western Germany, however, there is (or was) a system of saying du and Herr/Frau among coworkers. There are three different female equivalents of Herr, each covering different senses: Herrin, Dame, and Frau. ==== Declension ==== The forms Herrn and Herren were originally simple phonetic/graphic variants. Both were used for the singular and plural inflections. In contemporary standard German they are—usually—distinguished functionally, Herrn being the inflected singular, Herren the plural. ==== Hyponyms ==== ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== hehr herrschen === Further reading === “Herr” in Duden online “Herr” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache Friedrich Kluge (1883), “Herr”, in John Francis Davis, transl., Etymological Dictionary of the German Language, published 1891 == Hunsrik == === Alternative forms === hër (Portuguese-based orthography) === Etymology === From Middle High German hērre, hërre, from Old High German hēriro, hērro (“grey, grey-haired”), comparative of hēr (“noble, venerable”, whence German hehr), a semantic loan from Latin senior (“elder”). Ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *hair, from Proto-Germanic *hairaz (“grey”). Cognate with Dutch heer, Old English hār, English hoar, Old Norse hárr. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈhɛr/ Rhymes: -ɛr Syllabification: Herr === Pronoun === Herr m (plural Herre) Mr., mister, sir gentleman master, lord, generally denotes that somebody has control over something, either in a generic or in a regal sense Lord, God Used as a title of respect that is not translated into English or replaced with Sir === Further reading === Online Hunsrik Dictionary