mire

See also: Mire, miré, mirè, mirė, mirë, mìre, míre, and míře

English

Pronunciation

(UK) IPA^(key): /ˈmaɪə/
- Audio (RP) (file)
(US) IPA^(key): /ˈmaɪɚ/, /ˈmaɪɹ/
Rhymes: -aɪə(ɹ)

Etymology 1

From Middle English mire, a borrowing from Old Norse mýrr, from Proto-Germanic *miuzijō, whence also Swedish myr, Norwegian myr, Icelandic mýri, Dutch *mier (in placenames, for example Mierlo). Related to Proto-Germanic *meusą, whence Old English mēos, and Proto-Germanic *musą, whence Old English mos (English moss).

Noun

mire (countable and uncountable, plural mires)

Deep mud; moist, spongy earth.
- When Caliban was lazy and neglected his work, Ariel (who was invisible to all eyes but Prospero’s) would come slyly and pinch him, and sometimes tumble him down in the mire. (Charles Lamb, Tales from Shakespeare, Hatier, coll. « Les Classiques pour tous » n° 223, p. 51)
Synonyms: peatland, quag
Hypernym: wetland
Hyponyms: bog, fen
An undesirable situation, a predicament.
- 2017 April 2, Dafydd Pritchard, “Swansea City 0-0 Middlesbrough”, in BBC Sport‎, London:
  Swansea seemed to be pulling clear of trouble with five wins in their first eight games following head coach Paul Clement's appointment, but two successive defeats had dragged the Swans back into the mire.

Derived terms

bemire
enmire
in the mire
mire crow
mire drum
mireland
miry
pickmire
quagmire
wallow in the mire

Translations

deep mud

Bulgarian: кал (bg) f (kal), тиня (bg) f (tinja)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 污泥 (zh) (wūní)
Czech: močál m, bažina (cs) f, bahno (cs) n
Dutch: moeras (nl) n
Finnish: suo (fi), lieju (fi), muta (fi)
French: fange (fr) f, bourbier (fr) m
Galician: ludro m, untullo m, esteiro (gl) m, bulleiro (gl) m
German: Morast (de) m, Schlamm (de) m, Matsch (de) m
Greek: βούρκος (el) m (voúrkos)
Ancient: βόρβορος m (bórboros)
Hindi: कीचड़ (hi) m (kīcaṛ)
Italian: fango (it) m, mota (it) f, limo (it) m
Khmer: ផុង (km) (phong)
Latin: lutum n
Latvian: muklājs (lv) m, purvājs m, staignums m
Maori: kene
Navajo: hashtłʼish
Occitan: fanga (oc), baldra f, fangàs m, fangalhàs m, baldrièr m, iga f, maresca f, sanhàs m
Persian: گلزار‎ (fa) (gelzâr)
Plautdietsch: Mautsch m, Schlaum m
Polish: bagno (pl) n
Portuguese: lama (pt) f, lodo (pt) m, barro (pt) m
Russian: топь (ru) f (topʹ), тряси́на (ru) f (trjasína)
Sanskrit: पङ्क (sa) m (paṅka)
Scottish Gaelic: clàbar m
Spanish: barrizal m, lodazal (es) m, fangal m, barro (es) m, fango (es) m, cieno (es) m
Turkish: batak (tr)
Zazaki: lınce

an undesirable situation

Czech: marast m, šlamastyka (cs) f
Greek: λάσπη (el) f (láspi), βούρκος (el) m (voúrkos), τέλμα (el) n (télma), βόρβορος (el) m (vórvoros)
Occitan: malpàs, malparada f, malabosena f, malora f
Persian: باتلاق‎ (fa) (bâtlâq)
Turkish: batak (tr)

Verb

mire (third-person singular simple present mires, present participle miring, simple past and past participle mired)

(transitive) To cause or permit to become stuck in mud; to plunge or fix in mud.
to mire a horse or wagon
Synonyms: bemire, enmire
(intransitive) To sink into mud.
(transitive, figurative) To weigh down.
(intransitive) To soil with mud or foul matter.
- 1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act IV, scene i]:
  Why had I not with charitable hand
  Took up a beggar’s issue at my gates,
  Who smirch’d thus and mired with infamy,
  I might have said ‘No part of it is mine;
  This shame derives itself from unknown loins’?
Synonym: bemire

Derived terms

unmired

Translations

to plunge or fix in mud

German: feststecken (de)
Turkish: çamura batırmak

to sink into mud

Bulgarian: окалям (okaljam)
Czech: zapadnout do bláta, zabřednout do bahna
French: embourber (fr), enliser (fr)
German: einsinken (de)
Maori: tapoko
Occitan: fangassejar, fanguejar, s'enfangar, baudracar, baldracar, baldrejar, gaulhassar
Russian: погрязнуть (ru) pf (pogrjaznutʹ)
Spanish: empantanar (es)
Turkish: çamura batmak

Etymology 2

From Middle English mire, from Old English *mȳre, *mīere, from Proto-West Germanic *miurijā, from Proto-Germanic *miurijǭ (“ant”). Cognate to Old Norse maurr, Danish myre, Middle Dutch miere (“ant”) (Dutch mier). All probably from Proto-Indo-European *morwi- (“ant”), whence also cognate to Latin formīca.

Noun

mire (plural mires)

(rare or obsolete) An ant.
- 1866, The Gardener's Monthly and Horticultural Advertiser Devoted, page 149:
  "Having been seriously interrupted by small brown ants or mires working in my cutting bench, digging holes down the side of my cuttings, thereby arresting the process of rooting. […] "
- 1915, Daniel T. Trombley, Batiste of Isle La Motte, page 24:
  Wen I lay down behine dat log I plunk masef right een one dem aunty mire nest an bout 10 million of dem leetle devil begin to heat me.
- 1939, original c. 1300, Publications - Volume 103; Volume 105, page 267:
  The ant figures in the Bestiary, which tells us that the 'mire' is mighty; toils much in summer and in soft weather; stores wood and seed, corn and grass; in winter she is not harmed: she likes wheat, but shuns barley […]

Related terms

antmire
pismire

Anagrams

IMer, Meir, Meri, Remi, emir, meri, reim, riem, rime

Asturian

Verb

mire

first/third-person singular present subjunctive of mirar

Esperanto

Etymology

From miri +‎ -e.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ˈmire]
Rhymes: -ire
Hyphenation: mi‧re

Adverb

mire

in surprise, in awe, in an amazed way

French

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /miʁ/
Audio (file)
Homophones: mir, myrrhe, mirent

Etymology 1

From Italian mira, from Latin mīrō (“I wonder at”).

Noun

mire f (plural mires)

(archaic) aim (action of aiming) [from 1562]
Synonym: visée
foresight (of rifle) [from 1611]
Synonym: guidon
(literally, figurative) target [from early 1600s]
Synonyms: but, cible
(television) test pattern
(surveying) rod (measuring tool)

Derived terms

ligne de mire
point de mire

Etymology 2

From Old French mire, mirie, a semi-learned borrowing from Latin medicus.

Noun

mire m (plural mires, feminine miresse)

(historical) medieval physician
Hypernym: (more generally) médecin (“doctor”)

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

mire

inflection of mirer:
1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
2. second-person singular imperative

Anagrams

émir, Remi, Rémi, rime, rimé

Galician

Verb

mire

first/third-person singular present subjunctive of mirar

Hungarian

Pronominal adverbs from case suffixes (cf. postpositions)
ed	suffix	who?	what?	this	that	he/she (it)*
case	suffix	who?	what?	this	that	he/she (it)*	v. pr.	c.
nom.	–	ki	mi	ez	az	ő* / -∅ az / -∅	–	–
acc.	-t / -ot / -at / -et / -öt	kit	mit	ezt	azt	őt* / -∅ azt / -∅	–	c₁ c₂
dat.	-nak / -nek	kinek	minek	ennek	annak	neki	neki-	c
ins.	-val / -vel	kivel	mivel	ezzel/ evvel	azzal/ avval	vele		c
c-f.	-ért	kiért	miért	ezért	azért	érte	–	c
tra.	-vá / -vé	kivé	mivé	ezzé	azzá	–	–	c
ter.	-ig	–	meddig	eddig	addig	–	–	c
e-f.	-ként	(kiként)	(miként)	ekként	akként	–	–	c
e-m.	-ul / -ül	–	–	–	–	–	–	c
ine.	-ban / -ben	kiben	miben	ebben	abban	benne	–	c
sup.	-n/-on/-en/-ön	kin	min	ezen	azon	rajta	(rajta-)	c
ade.	-nál / -nél	kinél	minél	ennél	annál	nála	–	c
ill.	-ba / -be	kibe	mibe	ebbe	abba	bele	bele-	c
sub.	-ra / -re	kire	mire	erre	arra	rá	rá-	c
all.	-hoz/-hez/-höz	kihez	mihez	ehhez	ahhoz	hozzá	hozzá-	c
el.	-ból / -ből	kiből	miből	ebből	abból	belőle	–	c
del.	-ról / -ről	kiről	miről	erről	arról	róla	–	c
abl.	-tól / -től	kitől	mitől	ettől	attól	tőle	–	c
: Ő and őt refer to human beings; the forms below them might be construed likewise. – Forms in parentheses are uncommon. All »*

Etymology

mi (“what?”) +‎ -re (sublative case suffix)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ˈmirɛ]
Audio (file)
Hyphenation: mi‧re
Rhymes: -rɛ

Pronoun

mire

sublative singular of mi
Mire gondolsz? ― What are you thinking about?

Pronoun

mire

for what (purpose)?
Mire jó ez? ― What is it for?

Adverb

mire (not comparable)

whereupon (after which, in consequence)
Megszidtam, mire sírva fakadt. ― I scolded her, whereupon she started to cry.
by the time, when
Mire hazaértem, a vendégek már elmentek. ― By the time I got home, the guests had left.

Related terms

amire

Irish

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈmʲɪɾʲə/

Etymology 1

From Old Irish mire (“madness, frenzy, infatuation”).

Noun

mire f (genitive singular mire)

quickness, rapidity
spiritedness, ardor
madness, frenzy, mania
Synonym: buile

Declension

Declension of mire

Fourth declension

Bare forms (no plural of this noun)

Case	Singular
Nominative	mire
Vocative	a mhire
Genitive	mire
Dative	mire

Forms with the definite article

Case	Singular
Nominative	an mhire
Genitive	na mire
Dative	leis an mire don mhire

Derived terms

fear mire
madra mire

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Adjective

mire

inflection of mear:
1. genitive feminine singular
2. comparative degree

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
mire	mhire	not applicable
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “mire”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “mire”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
Entries containing “mire” in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm, 1959, by Tomás de Bhaldraithe.
Entries containing “mire” in New English-Irish Dictionary by Foras na Gaeilge.

Italian

Noun

mire f

plural of mira

Anagrams

ermi, meri, remi, rime

Ladin

Verb

mire

inflection of mirer:
1. first-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
2. third-person singular/plural present subjunctive

Latin

Pronunciation

(Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈmiː.re/, [ˈmiːrɛ]

(Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈmi.re/, [ˈmiːre]

Participle

mīre

vocative masculine singular of mīrus

References

“mire”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“mire”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers

Middle English

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Old Norse mýrr, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *miuzijō.

Alternative forms

myre, myer, muire, myrre, muyre

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /miːr/
(SW England) IPA^(key): /myːr/

Noun

mire (plural mires)

Marshy or swampy land; a mire or peat.
A region of marshy or swampy land.
A muddy or dirt-covered region.
(figuratively) Iniquity, sinfulness; immoral behaviour.
(rare) A quagmire or conundrum.
(rare) A puddle or pond; a watery hollow.

Derived terms

myren

Descendants

English: mire (“swamp”)
Scots: mire

References

“mīre, n.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-08-20.

Etymology 2

Inherited from Old English *mȳre, *mīere, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *miurijǭ.

Alternative forms

myre

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈmiːr(ə)/

Noun

mire

ant

Derived terms

pissemyre

Descendants

English: mire (“ant”) (obsolete)

References

“mīre, n.(2).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-07-20.

Portuguese

Verb

mire

inflection of mirar:
1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
2. third-person singular imperative

Prasuni

Etymology

From Proto-Nuristani *murdikā́, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *mŕ̥diH (“clay, earth, soil”), from *mŕ̥ts, from Proto-Indo-European *meld-. Cognate with Ashkun míč, Kamkata-viri muří, mřëí, Waigali muk, English mold (“ground, earth”). Compare Proto-Japonic *mita (“clay, earth”) (whence Old Japanese にた (nita), Miyako みぃた (mta), Okinawan んちゃ (ncha), Yaeyama んた (nta)).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /miɾe/

Noun

mire

clay

Romanian

Etymology

Possibly a substratum word, or from Greek μύρον (mýron, “ointment, uncture, holy oil”), relating to the ceremony of the Orthodox wedding. Another theory suggests Latin mīles (“soldier”), possibly mirroring semantic evolution of the rare voină (“husband”), from Slavic воинъ (voinŭ, “warrior”). Other less likely etymologies proposed include Turkish amir (“chief”), Cuman mir ("prince"), a Vulgar Latin *milex, from Ancient Greek μεῖραξ (meîrax, “adolescent; boy”), or an old Indo-European term[1].

Possibly related to Albanian mirë (“good”). Replaced mărit, which only survived in some regional dialects.

Pronunciation

Audio (file)

Noun

mire m (plural miri, feminine equivalent mireasă)

bridegroom

Declension

Declension of mire

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) mire	mirele	(niște) miri	mirii
genitive/dative	(unui) mire	mirelui	(unor) miri	mirilor
vocative	mire		mirilor

Derived terms

mireasă

References

mire in DEX online - Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language)

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish mire (“madness, frenzy, infatuation”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /mʲiɾʲə/

Noun

mire f (genitive singular mire, plural mirean)

merriment, mirth, frolic

Derived terms

gille-mirein

Mutation

Scottish Gaelic mutation
Radical	Lenition
mire	mhire
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

Edward Dwelly (1911), “mire”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary], 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “mire”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Serbo-Croatian

Verb

mire (Cyrillic spelling мире)

third-person plural present of miriti

Spanish

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈmiɾe/ [ˈmi.ɾe]
Rhymes: -iɾe
Syllabification: mi‧re

Verb

mire

inflection of mirar:
1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
2. third-person singular imperative

[1] re in DEX online - Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language)

mire

English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Noun

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 2

Noun

Related terms

Anagrams

Asturian

Verb

Esperanto

Etymology

Pronunciation

Adverb

French

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Noun

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Noun

Etymology 3

Verb

Further reading

Anagrams

Galician

Verb

Hungarian

Etymology

Pronunciation

Pronoun

Pronoun

Adverb

Related terms

Further reading

Irish

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Noun

Declension

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Adjective

Mutation

References

Italian

Noun

Anagrams

Ladin

Verb

Latin

Pronunciation

Participle

References

Middle English

Etymology 1

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Noun

Derived terms

Descendants

References

Etymology 2

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Noun

Derived terms

Descendants

References

Portuguese

Verb

Prasuni

Etymology

Pronunciation