sbire

French

Etymology

Borrowed into Middle French from Italian sbirro, from birro, from Latin birrus (“hooded coat”), related to burrus (“reddish; red-headed”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /zbiʁ/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

sbire m (plural sbires)

1. (historical) an Italian police officer of the Middle Ages
2. (derogatory) henchman

Further reading

• “sbire”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• bries, brise, brisé