*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of birr

From Middle English bir (“favorable or strong wind”), from Old English byre (“strong wind, storm”); cognate with Norwegian Nynorsk bør, Icelandic byrr (“sailing winds”), Albanian borë (“snow”), and Polish burza (“storm,

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

Strength, vigor, energy. · The force of movement; rush, impetus, momentum, driving force. · A whirring noise. · A strong trilling.

verb

To make a whirring noise; make a noise like that of revolving wheels, or of millstones at work. · To lurch or set to spinning.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English bir (“favorable or strong wind”), from Old English byre (“strong wind, storm”); cognate with Norwegian Nynorsk bør, Icelandic byrr (“sailing winds”), Albanian borë (“snow”), and Polish burza (“storm, thunderstorm”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionbirenm
  • Inherited-form mentionbyreang
  • Cognate mentionbørnn
  • Cognate mentionbyrris
  • Cognate mentionborësq
  • Cognate mentionburzapl
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "bir",
        "4": "",
        "5": "favorable or strong wind"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English bir (“favorable or strong wind”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "byre",
        "4": "",
        "5": "strong wind, storm"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English byre (“strong wind, storm”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nn",
        "2": "bør"
      },
      "expansion": "Norwegian Nynorsk bør"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "byrr",
        "3": "",
        "4": "sailing winds"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic byrr (“sailing winds”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sq",
        "2": "borë",
        "3": "",
        "4": "snow"
      },
      "expansion": "Albanian borë (“snow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "pl",
        "2": "burza",
        "3": "",
        "4": "storm, thunderstorm"
      },
      "expansion": "Polish burza (“storm, thunderstorm”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "bir",
      "bir#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "byre",
      "byre#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "bør",
      "bør#Norwegian_Nynorsk"
    ],
    [
      "byrr",
      "byrr#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "borë",
      "borë#Albanian"
    ],
    [
      "burza",
      "burza#Polish"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Strength, vigor, energy.",
        "The force of movement; rush, impetus, momentum, driving force.",
        "A whirring noise.",
        "A strong trilling."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Scotland"
      ],
      "recordId": "325c3cf0ccb90685c53d6d75b1ee2f8a133b6bf3123df1861fad83004a080211",
      "rawRecordSha256": "19db22b1d6bc9d6f91ddb0c6e9b6fdcd8ef7d68a8e3894bf2dab2819ba18fe41",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 407921
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To make a whirring noise; make a noise like that of revolving wheels, or of millstones at work.",
        "To lurch or set to spinning."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Scotland"
      ],
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  ],
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

The currency of Ethiopia, divided into 100 santims.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Amharic ብር (bər, “silver”).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "am:ብር<t:silver>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"gloss\" : \"silver\", \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Amharic\", \"term\" : \"ብር\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"am\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"birr\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"birr\">\nBorrowed from Amharic ብር (bər, “silver”)."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "am:ብር<t:silver>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Amharic ብር (bər, “silver”)."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "ብር",
      "ብር#Amharic"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The currency of Ethiopia, divided into 100 santims."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 407923
    }
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for birr →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-Ymlycg