Bier
Alemannic German
Alternative forms
- Biär, Pier
Etymology
From Middle High German bier, from Old High German bior, from Proto-West Germanic *beuʀ, from Proto-Germanic *beuzą (“beer”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰews- (“dross, sediment, brewer's yeast”).
Cognate with German Bier, Dutch bier, English beer, Icelandic bjór. More at beer.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /biər/
Noun
Bier n (plural Bier)
- beer
Central Franconian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /biə̯/
- Homophone: Bir (may be distinguished by tone)
Etymology 1
From Middle High German bier, from Old High German bior, from Proto-West Germanic *beuʀ, from Proto-Germanic *beuzą.
Noun
Bier n or m (plural Bier)
- (many dialects) beer (drink)
Usage notes
- Masculine in southern Moselle Franconian, otherwise neuter.
Alternative forms
- Beer (western Moselle Franconian)
Etymology 2
From Middle High German bēr, from Old High German bēr, from Proto-West Germanic *bair.
Noun
Bier m (plural Biere)
- (most dialects) a male uncastrated pig; a boar
- Buur, Bär un Bier sinn drei kodde Dier.
- Farmer, bear and boar are three evil animals. (Old Colognian proverb expressing city-dwellers’ snobbery)
See also
- Bärch, Barch (castrated)
German
Etymology
From Middle High German bier, from Old High German bior, from Proto-West Germanic *beuʀ, from Proto-Germanic *beuzą (“beer”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰews-, *bheus- (“dross, sediment, brewer's yeast”).
Akin to Dutch bier, Low German Beer, bêr, English beer, Icelandic bjór. More at beer.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /biːɐ̯/
audio (file) audio (file) - Rhymes: -iːɐ̯
Noun
Bier n (strong, genitive Bieres or Biers, plural Biere or Bier, diminutive Bierchen n)
- (beverage) beer (alcoholic beverage fermented from starch material; a serving of this beverage)
- (informal) business, beeswax (personal affairs)
Usage notes
- As is common with beverages in German, the unchanged plural Bier can be used after numerals in the sense of “quantities of beer” (glasses, bottles, cans). One may order: „Zwei Bier, bitte!“ – “Two beers, please!” (Nota bene: In many places of the German language area, this is not a common order; instead one needs to specify Pils, Weißbier, Kölsch, etc.)
- The marked plural Biere is used to mean different kinds of beer. For example: „Pils und Kölsch sind beliebte deutsche Biere.“ – “Pils and Kölsch are popular German beers.”
Declension
| singular | plural | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| indef. | def. | noun | def. | noun | |
| nominative | ein | das | Bier | die | Biere, Bier |
| genitive | eines | des | Bieres, Biers | der | Biere, Bier |
| dative | einem | dem | Bier, Biere1 | den | Bieren, Biern |
| accusative | ein | das | Bier | die | Biere, Bier |
1Now uncommon, see notes.
Derived terms
- Altbier
- Bierabend
- bierartig
- Bierausschank
- Bierbaß
- Bierbecher
- Bierbrauer
- Bierdeckel
- Biergarten
- Bierglas
- Bierhefe
- Bierjunge
- Bierkeller
- Bierleiche
- Bierschaum
- Bierschorle
- Biersuppe
- Biertheke
- Bierwürze
- Dunkelbier
- Fassbier
- Flaschenbier
- Hellbier
- Malzbier
- Rauchbier
- Roggenbier
- Schwarzbier
- Weißbier
- Weizenbier
Descendants
- → Italian: birra (see there for further descendants)
- → Romanian: bere
- → Swedish: bir
Further reading
- “Bier” in Duden online
- “Bier” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
- “Bier”, in PONS (in German), Stuttgart: PONS GmbH, 2001–2023
Luxembourgish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /biːr/, [biə̯], [ˈbiː.ɐ]
- Rhymes: -iːə
Etymology 1
From Proto-West Germanic *berō, from Proto-Germanic *berô. Compare German Bär, English bear, Dutch beer.
Noun
Bier m (plural Bieren)
- bear
Derived terms
- Äisbier
- Teddybier
Etymology 2
From Old High German bira, from Latin pirum.
Noun
Bier f (plural Bieren)
- pear
- light bulb
Alternative forms
- Bir (superseded in 2019)
Etymology 3
From Proto-West Germanic *baʀi, from Proto-Germanic *bazją. Compare German Beere, Danish bær, English berry.
Noun
Bier n (plural Bier)
- berry
Usage notes
- "Bier" can also mean "nut" or "bonce" (as in head) when used in Luxembourgish slang: i.e.: "wann's de dech net gëss, kriss de eng op d'Bier!" meaning "if you don't behave, you'll be hit in the head!"
Derived terms
- Hammbier
- Molbier
- Päerdsbier
- Schwaarzbier
- Äerdbier
Pennsylvania German
Etymology
From Middle High German bier, from Old High German bior, from Proto-West Germanic *beuʀ.
Compare German Bier, Dutch bier, English beer.
Noun
Bier n (plural Biere)
- beer
Derived terms
- Bierhef