سير

See also: شیر and سیر

Arabic

Etymology

Root
س ي ر (s-y-r)

The “strap” sense is apparently a Middle Iranian borrowing, compare Classical Persian سیرم (sīram, sīrum, “raw deer-skins cut into thongs, used in sewing saddles; strap; the shoemaker's strap which binds the last to his knee; a hawk's leash”), سیرمان (sīrmān, “ruby; embroidered silk”). Compare a whole set of horse tack terminology clearly to potentially borrowed from Iranian at the same time: رَسَن (rasan), رَخْت (raḵt), جُلّ (jull), جُوَالَق (juwālaq), نَمَط (namaṭ), بَرْذَعَة (barḏaʕa), شِكَال (šikāl), لِجَام (lijām), شَكِيمَة (šakīma), إِبْزِيم (ʔibzīm), سَرْج (sarj), خُرْج (ḵurj) and كُرْز (kurz).

The immediate source of the Arabic term, as also of Coptic ⲥⲓⲣ (sir, “line, stripe”) if distinct from ⲥⲓⲣ (sir, “hair of an animal or woman”) inherited from Egyptian

(sr, “hair of an animal or woman”), is likely the widely used Aramaic סירא / ܣܝܪܐ (sīrā, “a woven thread or mesh; chain; cord, rope; thong, shoe-lace”). This term is commonly explained as a borrowing from Ancient Greek σειρᾱ́ (seirā́, “cord, rope”), although it could also be interpreted as clipped from סֵירוּג (sērūg), סֵרוּג (sērūg, “plaiting, strapping”) or a similar term of the same root as the source of سَرْج (sarj), which is itself however connected to Iranian. It also appears as the source of صِير (ṣīr, “a kind of small fish used in brine for a spicy paste”).

This could mean that all or most of the root س ي ر (s-y-r) related to guidance is derived from this borrowing, as transferred senses of straps by which horses are guided. Dictionnaire du faisceau dialectal arabe andalou suggests that even صَارَ (ṣāra) and the whole ص ي ر (ṣ-y-r), sometimes a variant of سَارَ (sāra, “to go, to travel”), is from this noun by differentiation. Aramaic and Hebrew סָר (sār, “to turn aside, to turn back”) which reach as far back as Imperial Aramaic and the Torah, with frequent occurrence, may indicate a Semitic basis however.

Noun

سَيْر • (sayr) m (plural سُيُور (suyūr))

1. verbal noun of سَارَ (sāra) (form I)
2. strap, strip of hide, skin thong (such as, and originally, of a horse-harness or a shoulder-strap, and modernly a belt in machinery)
   • 1850, محمد بن عمر التونسي [Muḥammad Ibn-ʿUmar at-Tūnisī ], edited by Humphrey Davies, تشحيذ الأذهان بسيرة بلاد العرب والسودان (Library of Arabic Literature; 15), volume II, New York: NYU Press, published 2018, →ISBN, 3.3.31, page 184:

     فيعملون اللحم قديدًا وهو المسمّى عندهم بالشراميط لأنّهم يشرمطونه أي يقطعونه سيورًا ويأكلون منه طريًّا.

     They make the meat into jerky, which they call “shreds” because they shred it, meaning they cut it into strips. Some of it they also eat undried.

3. antler of a stag

Declension

Declension of noun سَيْر (sayr)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	سَيْر sayr	السَّيْر as-sayr	سَيْر sayr
Nominative	سَيْرٌ sayrun	السَّيْرُ as-sayru	سَيْرُ sayru
Accusative	سَيْرًا sayran	السَّيْرَ as-sayra	سَيْرَ sayra
Genitive	سَيْرٍ sayrin	السَّيْرِ as-sayri	سَيْرِ sayri
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	سَيْرَيْن sayrayn	السَّيْرَيْن as-sayrayn	سَيْرَيْ sayray
Nominative	سَيْرَانِ sayrāni	السَّيْرَانِ as-sayrāni	سَيْرَا sayrā
Accusative	سَيْرَيْنِ sayrayni	السَّيْرَيْنِ as-sayrayni	سَيْرَيْ sayray
Genitive	سَيْرَيْنِ sayrayni	السَّيْرَيْنِ as-sayrayni	سَيْرَيْ sayray
Plural	basic broken plural triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	سُيُور suyūr	السُّيُور as-suyūr	سُيُور suyūr
Nominative	سُيُورٌ suyūrun	السُّيُورُ as-suyūru	سُيُورُ suyūru
Accusative	سُيُورًا suyūran	السُّيُورَ as-suyūra	سُيُورَ suyūra
Genitive	سُيُورٍ suyūrin	السُّيُورِ as-suyūri	سُيُورِ suyūri

Alternative forms

• صَيْر (ṣayr) — nonstandard

Verb

سَيَّرَ • (sayyara) II, non-past يُسَيِّرُ‎ (yusayyiru)

1. to make roll round, to set into orbital motion
2. to stripe, to make have streaks
3. to cut into strips

Conjugation

Conjugation of

سَيَّرَ

(form-II sound)

verbal noun الْمَصْدَر						تَسْيِير tasyīr
active participle اِسْم الْفَاعِل						مُسَيِّر musayyir
passive participle اِسْم الْمَفْعُول						مُسَيَّر musayyar
active voice الْفِعْل الْمَعْلُوم
		singular الْمُفْرَد				dual الْمُثَنَّى			plural الْجَمْع
		1st person الْمُتَكَلِّم	2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب		2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب		1st person الْمُتَكَلِّم	2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب
past (perfect) indicative الْمَاضِي	m	سَيَّرْتُ sayyartu	سَيَّرْتَ sayyarta	سَيَّرَ sayyara		سَيَّرْتُمَا sayyartumā	سَيَّرَا sayyarā		سَيَّرْنَا sayyarnā	سَيَّرْتُمْ sayyartum	سَيَّرُوا sayyarū
	f		سَيَّرْتِ sayyarti	سَيَّرَتْ sayyarat			سَيَّرَتَا sayyaratā			سَيَّرْتُنَّ sayyartunna	سَيَّرْنَ sayyarna
non-past (imperfect) indicative الْمُضَارِع الْمَرْفُوع	m	أُسَيِّرُ ʔusayyiru	تُسَيِّرُ tusayyiru	يُسَيِّرُ yusayyiru		تُسَيِّرَانِ tusayyirāni	يُسَيِّرَانِ yusayyirāni		نُسَيِّرُ nusayyiru	تُسَيِّرُونَ tusayyirūna	يُسَيِّرُونَ yusayyirūna
	f		تُسَيِّرِينَ tusayyirīna	تُسَيِّرُ tusayyiru			تُسَيِّرَانِ tusayyirāni			تُسَيِّرْنَ tusayyirna	يُسَيِّرْنَ yusayyirna
subjunctive الْمُضَارِع الْمَنْصُوب	m	أُسَيِّرَ ʔusayyira	تُسَيِّرَ tusayyira	يُسَيِّرَ yusayyira		تُسَيِّرَا tusayyirā	يُسَيِّرَا yusayyirā		نُسَيِّرَ nusayyira	تُسَيِّرُوا tusayyirū	يُسَيِّرُوا yusayyirū
	f		تُسَيِّرِي tusayyirī	تُسَيِّرَ tusayyira			تُسَيِّرَا tusayyirā			تُسَيِّرْنَ tusayyirna	يُسَيِّرْنَ yusayyirna
jussive الْمُضَارِع الْمَجْزُوم	m	أُسَيِّرْ ʔusayyir	تُسَيِّرْ tusayyir	يُسَيِّرْ yusayyir		تُسَيِّرَا tusayyirā	يُسَيِّرَا yusayyirā		نُسَيِّرْ nusayyir	تُسَيِّرُوا tusayyirū	يُسَيِّرُوا yusayyirū
	f		تُسَيِّرِي tusayyirī	تُسَيِّرْ tusayyir			تُسَيِّرَا tusayyirā			تُسَيِّرْنَ tusayyirna	يُسَيِّرْنَ yusayyirna
imperative الْأَمْر	m		سَيِّرْ sayyir			سَيِّرَا sayyirā				سَيِّرُوا sayyirū
	f		سَيِّرِي sayyirī							سَيِّرْنَ sayyirna
passive voice الْفِعْل الْمَجْهُول
		singular الْمُفْرَد				dual الْمُثَنَّى			plural الْجَمْع
		1st person الْمُتَكَلِّم	2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب		2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب		1st person الْمُتَكَلِّم	2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب
past (perfect) indicative الْمَاضِي	m	سُيِّرْتُ suyyirtu	سُيِّرْتَ suyyirta	سُيِّرَ suyyira		سُيِّرْتُمَا suyyirtumā	سُيِّرَا suyyirā		سُيِّرْنَا suyyirnā	سُيِّرْتُمْ suyyirtum	سُيِّرُوا suyyirū
	f		سُيِّرْتِ suyyirti	سُيِّرَتْ suyyirat			سُيِّرَتَا suyyiratā			سُيِّرْتُنَّ suyyirtunna	سُيِّرْنَ suyyirna
non-past (imperfect) indicative الْمُضَارِع الْمَرْفُوع	m	أُسَيَّرُ ʔusayyaru	تُسَيَّرُ tusayyaru	يُسَيَّرُ yusayyaru		تُسَيَّرَانِ tusayyarāni	يُسَيَّرَانِ yusayyarāni		نُسَيَّرُ nusayyaru	تُسَيَّرُونَ tusayyarūna	يُسَيَّرُونَ yusayyarūna
	f		تُسَيَّرِينَ tusayyarīna	تُسَيَّرُ tusayyaru			تُسَيَّرَانِ tusayyarāni			تُسَيَّرْنَ tusayyarna	يُسَيَّرْنَ yusayyarna
subjunctive الْمُضَارِع الْمَنْصُوب	m	أُسَيَّرَ ʔusayyara	تُسَيَّرَ tusayyara	يُسَيَّرَ yusayyara		تُسَيَّرَا tusayyarā	يُسَيَّرَا yusayyarā		نُسَيَّرَ nusayyara	تُسَيَّرُوا tusayyarū	يُسَيَّرُوا yusayyarū
	f		تُسَيَّرِي tusayyarī	تُسَيَّرَ tusayyara			تُسَيَّرَا tusayyarā			تُسَيَّرْنَ tusayyarna	يُسَيَّرْنَ yusayyarna
jussive الْمُضَارِع الْمَجْزُوم	m	أُسَيَّرْ ʔusayyar	تُسَيَّرْ tusayyar	يُسَيَّرْ yusayyar		تُسَيَّرَا tusayyarā	يُسَيَّرَا yusayyarā		نُسَيَّرْ nusayyar	تُسَيَّرُوا tusayyarū	يُسَيَّرُوا yusayyarū
	f		تُسَيَّرِي tusayyarī	تُسَيَّرْ tusayyar			تُسَيَّرَا tusayyarā			تُسَيَّرْنَ tusayyarna	يُسَيَّرْنَ yusayyarna

Noun

سِيَر • (siyar) f pl

1. plural of سِيرَة (sīra)

Verb

سِيرَ • (sīra) (form I)

1. third-person masculine singular past passive of سَارَ (sāra)

Further reading

• Corriente, Federico, Pereira, Christophe, Vicente, Angeles, editors (2017), Dictionnaire du faisceau dialectal arabe andalou. Perspectives phraséologiques et étymologiques (in French), Berlin: De Gruyter, →ISBN, page 677
• Fraenkel, Siegmund (1886) Die aramäischen Fremdwörter im Arabischen (in German), Leiden: E. J. Brill, page 93
• Freytag, Georg (1833) “سير”, in Lexicon arabico-latinum praesertim ex Djeuharii Firuzabadiique et aliorum Arabum operibus adhibitis Golii quoque et aliorum libris confectum‎^[1] (in Latin), volume 2, Halle: C. A. Schwetschke, page 382
• “syrˀ”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
• “swr”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
• Crum, Walter E. (1939) A Coptic Dictionary‎^[2], Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN, page 353b
• سير (آلات) on the Arabic Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^ar

Hijazi Arabic

Root
س ي ر
1 term

سير

Etymology

From Arabic سَيْر (sayr).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /seːr/, [se̞ːr]

Noun

سير • (sēr) m (plural سِيُور (siyūr))

1. a belt in machinery
2. treadmill

   Alternative form: جِهاز سير (jihāz sēr)

3. traffic, passage

   Synonym: مُرُور (murūr)

Moroccan Arabic

Root
س ي ر
1 term

Etymology

From the imperative tense of Arabic سَارَ (sāra).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /siːr/

Verb

سير • (sīr) I (imperative only)

1. to go

Conjugation

Conjugation of سير
		singular				plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person		1st person	2nd person	3rd person
past	m
	f
non-past	m
	f
imperative	m		سير (sīr)				سيروا (sīru)
	f		سيري (sīri)

South Levantine Arabic

Root
س ي ر
3 terms

Etymology

From Arabic سَيْر (sayr).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /seːr/, [seːr]

• Audio (Ramallah)

  (file)

Noun

سير • (sēr) m

1. motion, course, progress
2. traffic

   Synonym: أزمة (ʔazme)