Herr
See also: herr
English
Etymology
- As a German and Jewish surname, from the noun Herr (“gentleman, sir”). Also found in Hungary and France.
- As a Hmong surname, variant of Her, named after the Her clan, written in Chinese as 侯 (compare Hou).
Proper noun
Herr (countable and uncountable, plural Herrs)
- A surname.
- An unincorporatedcommunity 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 herre, from Old High German hēriro, hērro (“grey, grey-haired”), the comparative form of hēr (“noble, venerable”) (by analogy with Latin senior (“elder”)), 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]
IPA(key): [hɛɐ̯](file) - (Austria)
IPA(key): [dɜɾ‿hɛr] (der Herr)(file) - 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)
- man, gentleman (polite term)
- Herrenbekleidung
- gentlemen's wear
- Herrentoilette
- gentlemen's toilet
- Ein älterer Herr
- An old gentleman
- sir (title of 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
- 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 verehrte Damen und Herren ― Dear Sir or Madam (address in formal letters and e-mails)
- gentleman
- Meine Damen und Herren...
- Ladies and gentlemen...
- master, lord (generally denotes that somebody 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.
- Der Schirmherr
- the patron
- (historical) the lowest title of German nobility
- Gans Edle Herren zu Putlitz
- Gans (noble) lords of Putlitz
- Lord, God
- Das Haus des Herrn
- The House of God
- Gott der Herr
- The Lord
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 somebody 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.
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.
Declension of Herr [masculine, weak]
| singular | plural | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| indef. | def. | noun | def. | noun | |
| nominative | ein | der | Herr | die | Herren, Herrn1 |
| genitive | eines | des | Herrn, Herren1 | der | Herren, Herrn1 |
| dative | einem | dem | Herrn, Herren1 | den | Herren, Herrn1 |
| accusative | einen | den | Herrn, Herren1 | die | Herren, Herrn1 |
1Archaic.
Derived terms
Derived terms
- Bauherr
- Brotherr
- Dienstherr
- Empfangsherr
- Feldherr
- Feudalherr
- Freiherr
- Hausherr
- Herrenbekleidung
- Herrenhaus
- Herrenmensch
- Herrenmode
- Herrenmoral
- Herrgott
- Herrin
- herrisch
- herrlich
- Herrschaft
- Herr werden
- Ratsherr
Related terms
- 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 herre, from Old High German hēriro, hērro, the comparative form of hēr (“noble, venerable”) (German hehr), by analogy with Latin senior (“elder”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /hɛr/
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