sire

[sahyuh r] /saɪər/
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, siring.
4.
to beget; procreate as the father.
Origin
1175-1225; Middle English < Old French (nominative singular) < Vulgar Latin *seior, for Latin senior senior (compare French monsieur orig., my lord, with sieur < *seiōr-, oblique stem of *seior)
Related forms
sireless, adjective
Examples from the web for sire
  • He bragged of being the father of five, and said with a mischievous grin that he was keen to sire a sixth.
  • When sire finally rouses from his dreams, he leads his family on a stroll through the forest.
  • sire breed affected weight gain throughout the study.
  • Estimation of genetic trends from cow and sire evaluations.
  • In this example, the sire and the dam are purebred animals for the previous four generations.
  • Crossbreds are animals whose sire and dam breeds are known but different.
British Dictionary definitions for sire

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
4.
(transitive) (esp of a domestic animal) to father; beget
Word Origin
C13: from Old French, from Latin senior an elder, from senex an old man
Word Origin and History for sire
n.

c.1200, title placed before a name and denoting knighthood, from Old French sire "lord (appellation), sire, my lord," from Vulgar Latin *seior, from Latin senior "older, elder" (see senior (adj.)). Standing alone and meaning "your majesty" it is attested from early 13c. General sense of "important elderly man" is from mid-14c.; that of "father, male parent" is from mid-13c.

v.

"to beget, to be the sire of," 1610s, from sire (n.). Used chiefly of beasts, especially of stallions. Related: Sired; siring.