herre

Borrowed from Old Saxon hērro, cognate with German Herr, Old High German hēriro, hērro. The comparative form of hēr (“noble, venerable”), by analogy with Latin senior (“elder”). The word originally meant "grey, grey-haired" and descends from Proto-Germanic *hairaz (“grey”), making it cognate with Old English hār (English hoar), Old Norse hárr.

• IPA^(key): /hɛrə/, [ˈhaɐ̯ɐ]

herre c (singular definite herren, plural indefinite herrer)

1. (formal) gentleman (an adult male)
2. (formal) mister (a formal address of an adult male)

   in the indefinite and with a name always in the short form hr.

3. (historical) lord (a male person that rules in an area)
4. master (the owner of an animal or, historically, a human slave)

herre

1. (informal) very
   • 2013, Katinka Maya Vår, Valget træffes, Katinkamaya forlag, →ISBN:

     ”Godt nok er han herre lækker, men chefens søn plejer trods alt ikke at have så voldsom en effekt på pigerne.”

     ”He may be really hot, but despite this, the boss' son does not usually have such violent an effect on the girls.”

• mega
• super

From Old English heorr, heorra, from Proto-Germanic *herzô (“hinge; door-hinge”).

• har, harre, her, horre
• heorre (Early Middle English)

• IPA^(key): /ˈhɛr(ə)/, /ˈhar(ə)/

herre (plural herris or herren)

2. hinge (device a door pivots on)

   Synonyms: gemow, henge, hengel

3. (rare) bar (of a door)
4. (rare, figuratively) extreme point; extremity

• English: har, harr, harre
• Scots: harr, herre, har
• Yola: harr, har

• “herre, n.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

From Old English hearra and Middle Dutch hēre, both from Old High German hērro, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *hairaz (“gray”). Doublet of hor (“hoar”).

• herra, hærre, harre
• here, heri (Late Middle English)

herre (plural herres or herren)

2. lord, chief, master

• English: her, here
• Scots: her, here, heir

• “herre, n.(2).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

herre

1. alternative form of her (“hair”)

herre

1. alternative form of here (“army”)

herre

1. alternative form of hire (“her”)

herre

1. alternative form of her (“here”)

herre

1. alternative form of here (“her”)

• her, here

herre

1. comparative degree of heigh (“high”)

Inherited from Old High German hēriro, hērro (“grey, grey-haired”), the comparative form of hēr (“noble, venerable”).

hērre or hërre m

1. master, lord

• German: Herr

• Benecke, Georg Friedrich; Müller, Wilhelm; Zarncke, Friedrich (1863), “hêrre”, in Mittelhochdeutsches Wörterbuch: mit Benutzung des Nachlasses von Benecke, Stuttgart: S. Hirzel

From Old Norse herri, herra, from Old Saxon hērro, from Old High German hēriro, hērro, the comparative form of hēr (“noble, venerable”) (German hehr), by analogy with Latin senior (“elder”).^[1] The Old High German word originally meant "grey, grey-haired", and descends from Proto-Germanic *hairaz (“grey”), making it cognate with Old English hār (English hoar), Old Norse hárr.

• IPA^(key): /ˈhêɾe/

herre m (definite singular herren, indefinite plural herrer, definite plural herrene)

1. gentleman, man

   Han kler seg som en virkelig herre.

   He dresses like a real gentleman.

   Mine damer og herrer!

   Ladies and gentlemen.

2. master, lord, ruler

   Knut den mektige var herre over Norge på 1000-tallet.

   Cnut the Great was ruler of Norway in the 11th century.

• “herre” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

From Old Norse herra, herri, from Old Saxon hērro, from Old High German hēriro, hērro, the comparative form of hēr (“noble, venerable”) (German hehr), by analogy with Latin senior (“elder”).^[1]

• IPA^(key): /²hær.rə/

herre m (definite singular herren, indefinite plural herrar, definite plural herrane)

1. gentleman, man

   Mine damer og herrar!

   Ladies and gentlemen!

2. master, lord, ruler

From Old Norse hérna.

• herne

• IPA^(key): /ˈhær.rə/

herre

1. this

   Synonym: denne

   Coordinate term: derre

• “herre” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

From Old Swedish hærre, hærra, from Old Norse herri, herra, from Old Saxon hērro, from Old High German hēriro, hērro, the comparative form of hēr (“noble, venerable”), by analogy with Latin senior (“elder”). Hēr originally meant "grey-haired, old", and descends from Proto-Germanic *hairaz (“grey”), making it cognate with Old English hār (English hoar), and Old Norse hárr.

• IPA^(key): /²hɛrːɛ/

• Audio:

  (file)

herre c

1. a man, a gentleman, a sir (a respected man)

   Mina damer och herrar!

   Ladies and gentlemen!

   Vi talade med en äldre herre.

   We spoke to an older gentleman.

   • 1970, “I fjol så gick jag med herrarna i hagen [Last year I went with the men in the pasture]”, in Skillingtryck [Broadside ballads]‎^[1], performed by Hootenanny Singers:

     I fjol så gick jag med herrarna i hagen. Ja, ja, med herrarna i hagen. Ja, med herrarna i hagen. I år har jag något som sparkar i magen. Aj, aj, som sparkar i magen. Aj, som sparkar i magen.

     Last year I went with the men in the pasture. Yes, yes, with the men in the pasture. Yes, with the men in the pasture. This year I have something that kicks in my belly. Ow, ow, that kicks in my belly. Ow, that kicks in my belly.

   • 1974, Björn Afzelius, “En kungens man [A man of the king]”‎^[2]:

     Då möter hon en herre, på en häst med yvig man. Han säger: "Jag är kungens man, så jag tar vad jag vill ha. Och du är alltför vacker, för att inte ha nån [någon] man. Följ med mig in i skogen [så] ska jag visa vad jag kan."

     Then she meets a man, on a horse with a bushy mane. He says: "I am a man of the king, so I take what I want. And you are much too beautiful, to not have a man. Come with me into the forest and I will show you what I can do."

2. a lord, a master (a man who has authority over something or someone)

   Ja, min herre och mästare. Säg vad jag ska göra så gör jag det, ty du är herre över mig.

   Yes, my lord and master. Tell me what to do and I will do it, for you are master over me.

   Människan vill göra sig till herre över naturkrafterna.

   Man wants to make himself master of the forces of nature.

   • 2000, 1973 års bibelkommission, “Matteusevangeliet [Matthew] 6:24”, in Bibel 2000‎^[3], © Svenska Bibelsällskapet, accessed at Bible.com, archived from the original on 2 October 2025:

     Ingen kan tjäna två herrar.

     No one can serve two masters.

3. (often capitalized: Herre) Lord

• gentleman

• herre in Svenska Akademiens ordböcker
• herre in Elof Hellquist, Svensk etymologisk ordbok (1st ed., 1922)

• herre in Nordisk familjebok (2nd ed., 1909)
• herre on the Swedish Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^sv