*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of hire

From Middle English hire, hyre, here, hure, from Old English hȳr (“employment for wages; pay for service; interest on money lent”), from Proto-West Germanic *hūʀiju (“payment”), from the verb *hūʀijan, from Proto-Germani

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

A person who has been hired, especially in a cohort. · The state of being hired, or having a job; employment. · Payment for the temporary use of something. · Reward.

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

From Middle English hire, hyre, here, hure, from Old English hȳr (“employment for wages; pay for service; interest on money lent”), from Proto-West Germanic *hūʀiju (“payment”), from the verb *hūʀijan, from Proto-Germanic *hūzijaną, from Proto-Indo-European *kewHs- or *kweHs-. Compare Hittite 𒆪𒊭𒀭 (kuššan-, “fee, pay, wages, price”). Cognate with West Frisian hier (“hire”), Dutch huur (“lease, rental”), German Low German Hüür (“lease, rental”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionhireenm
  • Inherited-form mentionhȳrang · employment for wages; pay for service; interest on money lent
  • Inherited-form mention*hūʀijugmw-pro · payment
  • Inherited-form mention*hūzijanągem-pro
  • Derivation mention*kewHs-ine-pro
  • Cognate mention𒆪𒊭𒀭hit · fee, pay, wages, price
  • Cognate mentionhierfy · hire
  • Cognate mentionhuurnl · lease, rental
Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "hire"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English hire"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "hȳr",
        "t": "employment for wages; pay for service; interest on money lent"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English hȳr (“employment for wages; pay for service; interest on money lent”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*hūʀiju",
        "t": "payment"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *hūʀiju (“payment”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*hūzijaną"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *hūzijaną"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*kewHs-"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *kewHs-"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "hit",
        "2": "𒆪𒊭𒀭",
        "tr": "kuššan-",
        "t": "fee, pay, wages, price"
      },
      "expansion": "Hittite 𒆪𒊭𒀭 (kuššan-, “fee, pay, wages, price”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fy",
        "2": "hier",
        "t": "hire"
      },
      "expansion": "West Frisian hier (“hire”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "huur",
        "t": "lease, rental"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch huur (“lease, rental”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nds-de",
        "2": "Hüür",
        "t": "lease, rental"
      },
      "expansion": "German Low German Hüür (“lease, rental”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "hire",
      "hire#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "hyre",
      "hyre#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "here",
      "here#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "hure",
      "hure#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "hȳr",
      "hyr#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*hūʀiju",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/hūʀiju"
    ],
    [
      "*hūʀijan",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/hūʀijan"
    ],
    [
      "*hūzijaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/hūzijaną"
    ],
    [
      "*kewHs-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/kewHs-"
    ],
    [
      "𒆪𒊭𒀭",
      "𒆪𒊭𒀭#Hittite"
    ],
    [
      "hier",
      "hier#West_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "huur",
      "huur#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "Hüür",
      "Hüür#Low_German"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A person who has been hired, especially in a cohort.",
        "The state of being hired, or having a job; employment.",
        "Payment for the temporary use of something.",
        "Reward."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable",
        "obsolete"
      ],
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  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
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    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To obtain the services of in return for fixed payment. · To occupy premises in exchange for rent. · To employ; to obtain the services of (a person) in exchange for remuneration; to give someone a job. · To exchange the services of for remuneration.

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

From Middle English hiren, hyren, from Old English hȳrian (“to hire”), from the noun (see above). Compare West Frisian hiere (“to rent, lease”), Dutch huren (“to rent, lease”), Low German hüren (“to rent”), Danish hyre (“to hire”), Swedish hyra (“to hire”). Eclipsed Middle English souden (“to hire, employ, enlist”), borrowed from Old French souder, soudre, souldre (“to take into employ, pay”); see obsolete English sold (“salary, military pay”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionhȳrianang · to hire
  • Cognate mentionhierefy · to rent, lease
  • Cognate mentionhurennl · to rent, lease
  • Cognate mentionhürennds · to rent
  • Cognate mentionhyreda · to hire
  • Cognate mentionhyrasv · to hire

This page abbreviates 3 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "hiren<id:to hire>"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English hiren"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "hȳrian",
        "t": "to hire"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English hȳrian (“to hire”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fy",
        "2": "hiere",
        "t": "to rent, lease"
      },
      "expansion": "West Frisian hiere (“to rent, lease”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "huren",
        "t": "to rent, lease"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch huren (“to rent, lease”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nds",
        "2": "hüren",
        "t": "to rent"
      },
      "expansion": "Low German hüren (“to rent”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "hyre",
        "t": "to hire"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish hyre (“to hire”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "hyra",
        "t": "to hire"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish hyra (“to hire”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "noncog",
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "souden",
        "t": "to hire, employ, enlist"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English souden (“to hire, employ, enlist”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "noncog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fro",
        "2": "souder"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French souder"
    },
    {
      "name": "noncog",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sold",
        "t": "salary, military pay"
      },
      "expansion": "English sold (“salary, military pay”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "hiren",
      "hiren#Middle_English:_to_hire"
    ],
    [
      "hyren",
      "hyren#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "hȳrian",
      "hyrian#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "hiere",
      "hiere#West_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "huren",
      "huren#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "hüren",
      "hüren#Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "hyre",
      "hyre#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "hyra",
      "hyra#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "souden",
      "souden#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "souder",
      "souder#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "soudre",
      "soudre#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "souldre",
      "souldre#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "sold",
      "sold#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Hawaiian",
      "lang_code": "haw",
      "word": "hai",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "lang_code": "ja",
      "word": "ハイヤー",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To obtain the services of in return for fixed payment.",
        "To occupy premises in exchange for rent.",
        "To employ; to obtain the services of (a person) in exchange for remuneration; to give someone a job.",
        "To exchange the services of for remuneration."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Australia",
        "UK",
        "transitive"
      ],
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 3,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

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 hire →

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-aGlyZQ