sbire
French edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed into Middle French from Italian sbirro, from birro, from Latin birrus (“hooded coat”), related to burrus (“reddish; red-headed”).
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
sbire m (plural sbires)
- (historical) an Italian police officer of the Middle Ages
- (derogatory) henchman
Further reading edit
- “sbire”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.