herr

See also: Herr

Albanian

Etymology

From Proto-Albanian *skarna, from Proto-Indo-European *sker- (“to cut”). Related to harr.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /hɛr/

Noun

herr f (plural herra, definite herri, definite plural herrat)

1. dwarf, small creature

Related terms

• harr
• harrje
• harlë

Danish

Etymology

Formed from herre (“gentleman, master”) by the same mechanism as grev, kong, fru. Note that Danish usually doesn't allow double consonants in non-intervocalic contexts.

Particle

herr

1. (dated) mister (title)
   • 1942, Carlo Andersen, Politiet beder os efterlyse, Lindhardt og Ringhof, →ISBN:

     »Det var et ganske besynderligt Indkøb, Herr Jensen,« indrømmede Wengel, i et krampagtigt Forsøg paa at oparbejde den fornødne Interesse.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 1921, Ingeniøren: ugeblad udgivet af Dansk Ingeniørforening:

     Vi undlader dog ikke at bemærke, at vi, forinden Prøven blev afholdt, paa alle Maader søgte at overbevise Herr Jensen om, at en sammenlignende Prøve foretaget paa den Maade vilde være spildt Ulejlighed.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Usage notes

Today, appears almost exclusively in the abbreviated form hr.

Old Norse

Etymology

From Proto-Norse ᚺᚨᚱᛃᚨ (harja) (accusative), from Proto-Germanic *harjaz, from Proto-Indo-European *ker- (“war”).

Noun

herr m (genitive herjar)

1. crowd, multitude; host (as in a host of men)
2. army, host, troops (on land or sea)
3. (in the plural) men, warriors

Declension

  Declension of herr (strong ja-stem)

masculine	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	herr	herrinn	herjar	herjarnir
accusative	her	herinn	herja	herjana
dative	her	herinum	herjum	herjunum
genitive	herjar	herjarins	herja	herjanna

Derived terms

• einherjar (“dead warriors in Valhalla”)
• landherr (“land-host”)
• Víðarr (“wide-army, name of a god”)

Related terms

• Herjann

Descendants

• Icelandic: her
• Faroese: herur
• Norwegian Nynorsk: her
• Old Swedish: hær
  • Swedish: här
• Danish: hær
  • Norwegian Bokmål: hær
    • → Norwegian Nynorsk: hær

References

“herr”, in Geir T. Zoëga (1910) A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press

Swedish

Etymology

See herre (“lord, master, gentleman”)

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /ˈhɛr/, [hærː]

Noun

herr c

1. (dated or formal) Mr., Mister, gentleman, sir (respectful term of address or (part of a) title for an adult male – a form of herre)

   Har herr Nilsson hört av sig än?

   Have you heard from Mr. Nilsson yet?

   Vad vill herrn ha till efterrätt?

   What would you like for dessert, sir? ("What would the gentleman like for dessert?")

   Ja, herr president

   Yes, Mr. President

   • 1904, Selma Lagerlöf, The Treasure‎^[1], archived from the original on 18 December 2019, page 6:

     I Solberga prästgård satt prästen, herr Arne, och åt aftonvard i kretsen av allt sitt husfolk.

     At Solberga parsonage, the priest, herr Arne, sat at supper surrounded by all his household.

   Note: After the you-reform of the 1960's and 70's usage of the first name is seen as more proper, except under the most formal circumstances (e.g. military or royalty).

Usage notes

The speaker of the riksdag is customarily addressed as "herr talman (“speaker”)" (Mr. speaker).

Declension

Declension of herr
	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	herr	herrn	herrar	herrarna
Genitive	herrs	herrns	herrars	herrarnas

See also

• herre
• fru
• fröken

References

• herr in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• herr in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• herr in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)