Sire
nounThe male parent of an animal, especially a horse or other breeding stock.
How to spell sire
4 letters · 2 syllables
How to pronounce sire
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does sire mean?
- nounThe male parent of an animal, especially a horse or other breeding stock.
- verbTo be the male parent of offspring, especially in animal breeding.
Sire in a sentence
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noun
The foal inherited its speed from a champion sire.
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verb
The stallion went on to sire dozens of winning racehorses.
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noun
Breeders paid a high fee to use the prize bull as a sire.
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verb
The ram is expected to sire a strong crop of lambs this season.
Where does sire come from?
Language of origin: French
The word arrived in English in the 1200s from Old French sire, meaning 'lord' or 'master', a respectful title used when addressing a king or a great nobleman. That Old French form traces back to the Latin senior, the comparative of senex 'old man', so the literal sense was simply 'the older one', the senior member who commanded respect. The same Latin senior gave English several relatives, including 'senior', 'señor', and the gentler 'sir', which is really just a worn-down everyday version of sire. Over time the regal title broadened in farming and breeding talk to mean the male parent of an animal, especially a stallion, and from there it became a verb meaning to father offspring. The short, clean spelling is no trap once you remember it ends in a silent final 'e' exactly like 'fire' and 'wire'.
How the word is built
- sire (from Old French sire 'lord', ultimately from Latin senior 'older man')
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