sire

[ sahyuhr ]

noun

1. the male parent of a quadruped.
2. a respectful term of address, now used only to a male sovereign.
3. Archaic.
   1. a father or forefather.
   2. a person of importance or in a position of authority, as a lord.

verb (used with object)

, sired, sir·ing.

1. to beget; procreate as the father.

sire

/ saɪə /

noun

1. a male parent, esp of a horse or other domestic animal
2. a respectful term of address, now used only in addressing a male monarch
3. obsolete.
   a man of high rank

verb

1. tr (esp of a domestic animal) to father; beget

Other Words From

• sireless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sire¹

1175–1225; Middle English < Old French (nominative singular) < Vulgar Latin *seior, for Latin senior senior (compare French monsieur originally, my lord, with sieur < *seiōr-, oblique stem of *seior )

Word History and Origins

Origin of sire¹

C13: from Old French, from Latin senior an elder, from senex an old man

Example Sentences

He has sired five chicks and, alongside his partner is considered “the most dominant condor pair in the park,” according to the Oregon Zoo.

From Seattle Times

Mouse pups sired by dysbiotic fathers showed significantly lower birth weights and an increased rate of postnatal mortality.

From Science Daily

He grew to nearly 15 feet tall and sired three offspring, who went on to other zoos.

From Seattle Times

Both babies were sired by Kiburi, a 19-year-old silverback brought to the zoo from Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands as part of a conservation breeding program to help preserve the critically endangered gorilla subspecies.

From Seattle Times

She was the daughter of Street Cry, who fathered a Kentucky Derby winner named Street Sense, but had no greater moment as a sire than Zenyatta’s birth.

From Los Angeles Times