sbirro

English

Etymology

From Italian sbirro; compare French sbire.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /spiɹoʊ/

Noun

sbirro (plural sbirros or sbirri)

1. A policeman in Italy, Corsica, etc.
2. A ruffian or henchman.

Anagrams

• Borris

Italian

Etymology

From s- +‎ birro, the latter from Latin birrus (“hooded coat”), related to burrus (“reddish; red-headed”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈzbir.ro/
• Rhymes: -irro
• Hyphenation: sbìr‧ro

Noun

sbirro m (plural sbirri)

1. cop (policeman)

   Synonym: poliziotto

Derived terms

• sbirresco

Descendants

• → English: sbirro
• → Esperanto: sbiro
• → French: sbire
• → Maltese: żbirr
• → Romanian: zbir
• → Spanish: esbirro
  • → Catalan: esbirro

Further reading

• sbirro in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Anagrams

• sborri