See also: FIR, fir-, and fír

English edit

 
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A fir tree (Abies balsamea)

Etymology edit

From Middle English firre, from Old English fyrh, furh (as in furhwudu (pinewood),[1] from Proto-West Germanic *furhu, from Proto-Germanic *furhō, *furhijǭ, from Proto-Indo-European *pŕ̥kʷeh₂, from *pérkʷus (oak). Possibly conflated during Middle English with Old Norse fýri (as in fýriskógr (pine-wood).[2]

Germanic cognates include Dutch vuren, Low German Fuhr, German Föhre (pine), Danish fyr). Outside of Germanic, compare Italian (Trentino) porca (fir), Latin quercus (oak), Albanian shpardh, shparr (Italian oak), Punjabi ਪਰਗਾਇ (pargāī, holm oak, Quercus baloot)). Related to frith.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

fir (countable and uncountable, plural firs)

  1. (chiefly countable) A conifer of the genus Abies.
    • 1907, Harold Bindloss, chapter 1, in The Dust of Conflict[1]:
      A beech wood with silver firs in it rolled down the face of the hill, and the maze of leafless twigs and dusky spires cut sharp against the soft blueness of the evening sky.
  2. (chiefly countable) Any pinaceous conifer of related genera, especially a Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga) or a Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris).
    • 1954, J. R. R. Tolkien, chapter 3, in The Lord of the Rings:
      we shall find a spot that is sheltered and snug enough, sir. There is a dry fir-wood just ahead, if I remember rightly.
    • 1991, Paul Chadwick, Concrete: American Christmas, Dark Horse Books:
      I can almost smell the fir scent… resinous, pungent.
  3. (uncountable) Wood of such trees.

Synonyms edit

Derived terms edit

Translations edit

References edit

  1. ^ J.P. Mallory, Douglas Q. Adams, eds., Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture s.v. "oak", "pine" (London: Fitzroy Dearborn, 1997), pp. 407, 428-9.
  2. ^ Oxford English Dictionary, 3rd edn., s.v. "fir" (Oxford, 2000).

Anagrams edit

Irish edit

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

fir m

  1. inflection of fear (man; husband):
    1. vocative/genitive singular
    2. nominative/dative plural

Mutation edit

Irish mutation
Radical Lenition Eclipsis
fir fhir bhfir
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References edit

  1. ^ Finck, F. N. (1899) Die araner mundart (in German), volume II, Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 106
  2. ^ Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, page 100

Luxembourgish edit

Etymology edit

From Old High German furi, from Proto-West Germanic *furi, from Proto-Germanic *furi. Cognate with German für, English for.

Pronunciation edit

Preposition edit

fir (+ accusative)

  1. for

Derived terms edit

Manx edit

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

fir

  1. plural of fer

Mutation edit

Manx mutation
Radical Lenition Eclipsis
fir ir vir
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Middle English edit

Noun edit

fir

  1. Alternative form of firre

Northern Kurdish edit

Alternative forms edit

Noun edit

fir f

  1. flight (act of flying)

Norwegian Bokmål edit

Verb edit

fir

  1. imperative of fire

Old Irish edit

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

fir

  1. inflection of fer:
    1. vocative/genitive singular
    2. nominative plural

Mutation edit

Old Irish mutation
Radical Lenition Nasalization
fir ḟir fir
pronounced with /v(ʲ)-/
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Romanian edit

Etymology edit

Inherited from Latin fīlum, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰiH-(s-)lo-.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

fir n (plural fire)

  1. thread, string, filament, wire
  2. (fir de păr) a hair

Derived terms edit

See also edit

Scottish Gaelic edit

Noun edit

fir m

  1. genitive singular of fear
  2. nominative plural of fear

Mutation edit

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