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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
1862 November 14, “New Photolithographic Process”, in G. Wharton Simpson, editor, The Photographic News: A Weekly Record of the Progress of Photography, volume VI, number 219, London: […] Thomas Piper, […], page 546, column 1:On a variety of drawings being lately exhibited for a new town hall in one of the German capitals, a certain design of Herren Schmidt and Stauch attracted considerable attention among the art-loving public of the Fatherland, but as it happened to become a subject of jobbery, and was not to be accepted in consequence, would have been hardly accessible to larger circles of connoisseurs, without the invention of the new art.
2014, Marsha Morton, Max Klinger and Wilhelmine Culture: On the Threshold of German Modernism, Ashgate Publishing, →ISBN, page 98:They stand in the poses of the two provincials—Herren Müller and Schultze—whose conversations (and portraits) were a regular column in the satirical paper.
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, 2011–present.
- “Herr”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
- “Herr”, in Merriam-Webster Online, Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, Inc., 1996–present.
Etymology 2
As a Hmongic 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
Etymology
From Middle High German hērre, hërre, from Old High German hēriro, hērro, originally comparative of hēr (“grey-haired, 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
Noun
Herr m (weak, genitive Herrn or (archaic) Herren, plural Herren or (archaic) Herrn, diminutive Herrchen n or Herrlein n or Herrl n, feminine Herrin)
- (polite) man, gentleman
Herrenbekleidung- gentlemen's wear
Herrentoilette- gentlemen's toilet
ein älterer Herr- an older gentleman
- (archaic) sir, lord; address of subservient respect
Wie kann ich Euch zu Diensten sein, Herr?- How can I serve you, sir?
Gnädiger Herr!- (Can be translated as "My lord!" in English, but there is no direct equivalent.)
- Mr., mister, sir respectful address towards a man
sehr geehrter Herr Schmidt- (dear) Mr. Schmidt
Die Herren Schmidt und Müller- Messrs. Schmidt and Müller
- 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)
Herr der Lage sein- to be master of the situation
Weil die Tiere auf seinen Wink reagieren, nennt man ihn den Herren der Wölfe.- Because the animals are at his beck and call, he is called Lord of the Wolves.
(Can we date this quote?), Der gestiefelte Kater:Wer ist Herr dieser Landen? Der Graf von Karabas.- Who is the ruler/owner of these lands? The Count of Karabas.
- (historical) the lowest title of German nobility
Gans Edle Herren zu Putlitz- Gans (noble) lords of Putlitz
- 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
Further reading
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
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