dier

See also: Dier

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

English die

Proto-Indo-European *-yósder.

Proto-Italic *-āzios

Latin -āriusnom.

Latin -āriusbor.

Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz

Proto-West Germanic *-ārī

Old English -ere

Middle English -ere

English -er

English dier

From die + -er.

Noun

dier (plural diers)

1. One who dies.
   • 1985, Don DeLillo, White Noise:

     It's a way of controlling death. A way of gaining the ultimate upper hand. Be the killer for a change. Let someone else be the dier.

   • 2006, Shankar Mokashi Punekar, Awadheswari:

     Since other languages are structurally constrained to say who it was who died and since the original leaves the identity of the dier unexpressed, any translation in the target language is going to be incorrect.

Usage notes

• Used in abstract and philosophical contexts, rather than in discussing a known individual who has died. Compare deceased.

Anagrams

• Deri, IDer, Reid, dire, drie, ired, ride

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch dier, from Middle Dutch dier, from Old Dutch *dior, from Proto-West Germanic *deuʀ, from Proto-Germanic *deuzą, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewsóm.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dir/, [diːr]

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

dier (plural diere)

1. animal
2. beast; brute

Dutch

Picture dictionary

dier

organisme

---

zoogdier vis amfibie reptiel vogel insect

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dir/, [diːr], [diər]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: dier
• Rhymes: -ir

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch dier, from Old Dutch dier, from Proto-West Germanic *deuʀ, from Proto-Germanic *deuzą, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewsóm.

Noun

dier n (plural dieren, diminutive diertje n)

1. animal (any member of the kingdom Animalia)

Usage notes

Sometimes used as a term of endearment or flirtation, as in the phrase lekker dier.

Derived terms

• bloemdier
• boerderijdier
• buideldier
• chordadier
• circusdier
• cloacadier
• dagdier
• dierachtig
• dierdicht
• dierenarts
• dierenbescherming
• dierenbeul
• dierendag
• dierenepos
• dierenhandel
• dierenleed
• dierenleven
• dierenmishandeling
• dierenperk
• dierenpsycholoog
• dierenrechten
• dierenriem
• dierenrijk
• dierentuin
• dierenvriend
• dierenwelzijn
• dierenwinkel
• diergaarde
• diergeneeskunde
• dierkunde
• dierlijk
• dieronterend
• dierproef
• diersoort
• diervriendelijk
• elpendier
• fabeldier
• gekorven dier
• gezelschapsdier
• gleufdier
• gordeldier
• hoefdier
• huisdier
• kerfdier
• knaagdier
• knuffeldier
• koraaldier
• kruipdier
• kuddedier
• landdier
• lastdier
• maagzakdier
• manteldier
• nachtdier
• neteldier
• nutsdier
• pantoffeldier
• partijdier
• placentadier
• proefdier
• prooidier
• rendier
• reuzendier
• rijdier
• roofdier
• sabeldier
• schaaldier
• schelpdier
• schubdier
• slurfdier
• snaveldier
• sponsdier
• spookdier
• trekdier
• troeteldier
• vingerdier
• vogelbekdier
• waterdier
• weekdier
• werkdier
• werveldier
• zeedier
• zoogdier

Etymology 2

From Middle Dutch dier.

Determiner

dier

1. (demonstrative) her, their, the latter's (genitive feminine singular and genitive plural of die)

   De verdachte heeft zich samen met een vriend, haar dochter en dier vriend schuldig gemaakt aan de moord op haar echtgenoot [...] (from a verdict of the Court of Justice at 's-Gravenhage, 2011 [1])

   The accused (woman) is guilty of having murdered her husband in cooperation with a friend, her daughter and the latter's friend [...]

Usage notes

Dier is used in a similar way as the possessive determiners haar and hun. It is rare in spoken Dutch, but used occasionally in writing to avoid confusion. Compare:

• Zij vertelde van haar dochter en haar man. ― She told of her daughter and her (own) husband.
• Zij vertelde van haar dochter en dier man. ― She told of her daughter and the latter's husband.

The corresponding masculine and neuter singular form is diens.

Etymology 3

Dialectal variant of duur; compare besturen and bestieren, which displays the same alternation in vowels, arising from dialectal differences.

Adjective

dier (comparative dierder, superlative dierst)

1. (dialectal, archaic) alternative form of duur

Derived terms

• dierbaar

Anagrams

• drie, ried

Elfdalian

Etymology

From Old Norse þeir, þær, from Proto-Germanic *þai.

Pronoun

dier

1. they

Declension

		Singular	Plural
		Nominative	Accusative	Dative	Nominative	Object
1		ig	mig	wįð	uoss
2		du	dig	ið	ið
3	masc.	an	an	ånum, åm	dier	diem
fem.	ą̊	ån, åna	enner, en
neut.	eð	eð	dyö

Luxembourgish

Etymology

From Old High German durri, from Proto-Germanic *þursuz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /diːr/, [diə̯], [ˈdiː.ɐ]
• Rhymes: -iːə
• Homophones: Dier, dir, Dir

Adjective

dier (masculine dieren, neuter diert, comparative méi dier, superlative am diersten)

1. (of plants and trees) dry, dead

Declension

Declension of dier

	singular	plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative	hien ass dier	si ass dier	et ass dier	si si(nn) dier
nominative / accusative	attributive and/or after determiner	dieren	dier	diert	dier
independent without determiner	dieres	dierer
dative	after any declined word	dieren	dierer	dieren	dieren
as first declined word	dierem	dierem

Middle Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /diə̯r/

Etymology 1

From Old Dutch dier, from Proto-West Germanic *deuʀ, from Proto-Germanic *deuzą, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewsóm.

Noun

dier n

1. animal

Inflection

Strong masculine noun

	singular	plural
nominative	dier	diere
accusative	dier	diere
genitive	diers	diere
dative	diere	dieren

Descendants

• Dutch: dier
• Limburgish: deer

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Determiner

dier

1. inflection of die:
   1. feminine genitive/dative singular
   2. genitive plural

Further reading

• “dier”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929), “dier (I)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page I

Middle English

Noun

dier

1. (Early Middle English, Essex or Late Middle English, Kent) alternative form of der (“deer”)

Norwegian Bokmål

Verb

dier

1. present tense of die

Old Dutch

Alternative forms

• dior

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *deuʀ, from Proto-Germanic *deuzą, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewsóm.

Noun

dier n

1. animal

Inflection

Declension of dier (neuter a-stem noun)

case	singular	plural
nominative	dier	dier
accusative	dier	dier
genitive	dieres	diero
dative	diere	dieron

Descendants

• Middle Dutch: dier
  • Dutch: dier
    • Afrikaans: dier
  • Limburgish: deer

Further reading

• “dier”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012

Slovak

Noun

dier

1. genitive plural of diera

West Frisian

Etymology

From Old Frisian diār, from Proto-West Germanic *deuʀ, from Proto-Germanic *deuzą, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewsóm.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /diə̯r/

Noun

dier n (plural dieren, diminutive dierke)

1. animal

Derived terms

• húsdier
• sûchdier

Further reading

• “dier”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011