ers

See also: ERS, ERs, Ers, and -ers

English

Verb

ers

1. third-person singular simple present indicative of er

Anagrams

• ESR, RSE, Res., SER, SRE, res, ser, ser.

Afrikaans

Noun

ers

1. plural of er

French

Etymology

From Middle French ers (16th c.), from Occitan èrs, from Latin ervum (“vetch”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛʁ/
• Homophones: air, aire, airent, aires, airs, ère, ères, erre, errent, erres (general), haire, haires, hère, hères, r (aspirated)

Noun

ers m (plural ers)

1. (botany) bitter vetch, ervil (Vicia ervilia)
2. (botany) Lens ervoides

Further reading

• “ers”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

German

Alternative forms

• er's

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /eːɐ̯s/
• Hyphenation: ers

Contraction

ers

1. Contraction of er es.
   • 1843, Brothers Grimm, “Marienkind”, in Kinder- und Haus-Märchen, Band 1‎^[1], 5th edition, page 14:

     Am andern Morgen, als das Kind nicht zu finden war, gieng ein Gemurmel unter den Leuten, die Königin wäre eine Menschenfresserin, und hätte ihr eigenes Kind umgebracht. Sie hörte alles, und konnte nichts dagegen sagen, der König aber hatte sie zu lieb als daß ers glauben wollte.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Middle English

Noun

ers

1. Alternative form of ars

Scots

Etymology

From Middle English ers, form of ars, from Old English ears, ærs, from Proto-West Germanic *ars, from Proto-Germanic *arsaz.

Noun

ers (plural erses)

1. arse, buttocks

References

• “ers” in the Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries.
• Eagle, Andy, editor (2024), “ers”, in The Online Scots Dictionary‎^[2]

Swedish

Alternative forms

• Ers
• Eders

Pronoun

ers

1. your (only in address); a contraction of the archaic eders, being a genitive form of er

   ers majestät

   Your Majesty

   ers höghet

   Your Highness

   ers nåd

   your grace

References

• ers in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• ers in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)

Anagrams

• res, ser

Welsh

Etymology

er +‎ ys

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛrs/
• Rhymes: -ɛrs

Preposition

ers

1. since
2. for (a period of time)

Usage notes

• Ers is used with time periods that are still ongoing in the context of a clause's verb.

Rwy’n byw yma ers blynyddoedd erbyn hyn ac rwy wrth fy modd yma.

I’ve lived here for years now and I love it here.

Roeddwn i’n byw yma ers blynyddoedd erbyn hynny ond heb benderfynu gadael eto.

I’d lived there for years by then but hadn’t yet decided to leave.

For time periods that have come to an end, am is used instead.

Roeddwn i’n byw yma am flynyddoedd ond rwy wedi gadael erbyn hyn.

I lived there for years but I’ve left now.

• Traditionally, the simple present tense rather than the present perfect is used with periods that extend to the present, although the latter is increasingly common under the influence of English.

simple present:

Rwy’n byw yma ers blynyddoedd.

I’ve lived here for years.

present perfect:

Rwy wedi byw yma ers blynyddoedd.

I’ve lived here for years.

• In very formal or literary language, er is used when a specific start time is mentioned.

Saif y castell yma er 1284.

The castle has stood here since 1284.

Y mae’r castell yn adfail er pan fu farw’r brenin olaf.

The castle has been a ruin since the last king died.

Ers is used when the beginning of the time period is not mentioned (and is also preferred in all cases in less formal registers).

Mae’r castell yma ers canrifoedd.

The castle has been here for centuries.

Conjunction

ers

1. since

Mutation

Welsh mutation
radical	soft	nasal	h-prothesis
ers	unchanged	unchanged	hers
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.