choir

== English == === Etymology === From Middle English quer, quere, from Old French quer, from Latin chorus, from Ancient Greek χορός (khorós, “company of dancers or singers”). Modern spelling influenced by chorus and French chœur. Doublet of quire, chorus, and hora. === Pronunciation === (UK) IPA(key): /kwaɪə(ɹ)/, (triphthong smoothing) /kwɑə(ɹ) ~ kwɑː(ɹ)/ (US) IPA(key): /kwaɪɚ/ (South Asia) IPA(key): /kʰwajr/, (spelling pronunciation) /kʰɔjr/ Rhymes: -aɪə(ɹ), (South Asia spelling pronunciation) -ɔɪə(ɹ) (most accents) Homophone: quire === Noun === choir (plural choirs) (music) A group of people who sing together; a company of people who are trained to sing together. Alternative form: (archaic) quire (architecture) One quarter of a cruciform church, or the architectural area of a church, generally used by the choir; often near the apse. Alternative form: (uncommon) quire (Christian angelology) One of the nine ranks or orders of angels. Set of strings (one per note) for a harpsichord. ==== Usage notes ==== Although choir and quire originated as two spellings of the same word, they have gradually diverged in meaning in modern English. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== choral chorus quire ==== Translations ==== === Verb === choir (third-person singular simple present choirs, present participle choiring, simple past and past participle choired) (intransitive) To sing in concert. Alternative form: (poetic) quire === Anagrams === chiro, chiro-, chori, ichor, orchi == French == === Etymology === Inherited from Middle French cheoir, from Old French cheoir, from older chedeir, from Late Latin cadēre, from Latin cadĕre, from Proto-Italic *kadō, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱh₂d- (“to fall”). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ʃwaʁ/ Rhymes: -waʁ === Verb === choir (defective) (past participle chu) (literary) to fall Synonym: tomber ==== Conjugation ==== This is a defective verb, only conjugated in certain tenses. Rarely, the present participle chéant / cheyant and the imperfect indicative chéais, chéait / cheyait are found. ==== Derived terms ==== chute déchoir échoir méchoir rechoir === Further reading === “choir”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012 == Irish == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): [xɛɾʲ] === Noun === choir m lenited form of coir == Old Irish == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈxo.əɾʲ/ (Blasse) [ˈxo.ɪɾʲ] (Griffith) [ˈxo.ɨɾʲ] === Adjective === choïr lenited form of coïr