herse

== English == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /hɜː(ɹ)s/ Homophone: hearse Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)s === Etymology 1 === From Middle English hierche (“type of harrow”), from Middle French herce, herse. Doublet of hearse. ==== Noun ==== herse (plural herses) A kind of gate or portcullis, having iron bars, like a harrow, studded with iron spikes, hung above gateways so that it may be quickly lowered to impede the advance of an enemy. === Etymology 2 === See hearse. ==== Noun ==== herse (plural herses) Obsolete form of hearse (“a carriage for the dead”). (obsolete) A funeral ceremony. ==== Verb ==== herse (third-person singular simple present herses, present participle hersing, simple past and past participle hersed) Alternative form of hearse. === References === === Anagrams === here's, sheer, HREEs, Esher, heers, Sheer, Rhees, Shere, heres == French == === Etymology === Inherited from Old French herce, from Latin hirpicem. The initial aspiration is said to be onomatopoetic, but may also be due to influence by the unrelated Germanic words at hand in Old Norse herfi, English harrow. === Pronunciation === (aspirated h) IPA(key): /ɛʁs/ === Noun === herse f (plural herses) harrow (device for breaking up soil) portcullis (gate in the form of a grating) spike strip, road spikes, traffic spikes grate, grill (especially to block large objects floating down a river) candlestick, candelabrum (with a triangular base and spikes to hold large candles) stage lighting instrument, luminaire that disperses light over a stage (heraldry) portcullis === Verb === herse inflection of herser: first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive second-person singular present imperative === Further reading === “herse”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012 == Norwegian Nynorsk == === Etymology === Semi-learned borrowing from Old Norse hersir, from Proto-Germanic *harisjaz (“army’s leader”), from Proto-Germanic *harjaz (“army”). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /²hɛrsə/, /²hɛʂːə/ === Noun === herse m (definite singular hersen, indefinite plural hersar, definite plural hersane) hersir (a local chief lord up until about 1050) ==== Derived terms ====