Mire

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /ˈmaɪə/
• US IPA: /ˈmaɪɚ/
• Rhymes: -aɪə(r)

From Old Norse mýrr, from Proto-Germanic *miuzijō, whence also Swedish myr, Icelandic mýri, Dutch *mier (in placenames, for example Mierlo). Related to Proto-Germanic *meusą, whence Old English mēos, and Proto-Germanic *musą, whence Old English mos (English moss).

Full definition of mire

Noun

1. Deep mud; moist, spongy earth.
• When Caliban was lazy and neglected his work, Ariel (who was invisible to all eyes but Prospero’s) would come slyly and pinch him, and sometimes tumble him down in the mire. (Charles Lamb, Tales from Shakespeare, Hatier, coll. « Les Classiques pour tous » n° 223, p. 51)
2. An undesirable situation, a predicament.

Derived terms

• mire crow
• mire drum
• miry
• in the mire
• quagmire

Verb

1. To weigh down.
2. To cause or permit to become stuck in mud; to plunge or fix in mud.to mire a horse or wagon
3. To soil with mud or foul matter.
• ShakespeareSmirched thus and mired with infamy.

Perhaps related to Middle Dutch miere (Dutch mier). Cognate with Old Norse maurr, Danish myre. All probably from Proto-Indo-European *morwi ("ant")

Noun

1. (obsolete) An ant.

Anagrams

• emir, Meri, rime