What does yirred mean?
Yirred is a chiefly Scottish word meaning angry or irritated. It can function as an adjective, as in a description of an angry person, or as the past tense and past participle of the Scots verb yirr, meaning to become angry or take offence. The word often conveys a sharp, personal irritation rather than a calm or restrained state of displeasure. Its sound is close to the Scots yir, a noun denoting anger, and its forms may therefore seem unfamiliar even to readers accustomed to Scottish usage. Although uncommon in modern standard English, yirred appears in Scottish writing and in literary works that preserve regional vocabulary. Its usefulness lies in its strongly local character: it identifies not only emotional anger but also a reaction associated with taking offence, a sense that helps explain the word’s characteristic bluntness.
Angry or irritated, especially in Scottish usage.
"The old man was yirred about the damage to his fence."
Chiefly Scottish and literary outside dialect contexts.
The past tense and past participle of yirr, meaning to be angry or to take offence.
"She yirred at the delay and demanded an explanation."
Used mainly in Scottish speech and writing.
A distinctly Scottish alternative to simply saying someone was angry.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of yirred
The word belongs to Scots, where yir denotes anger and yirr means to be angry or take offence. Scots yir is related to Old English īere, the historical form behind modern English ire, and to cognate forms in other Germanic languages. Yirred developed as a form expressing the angry state in Scots usage.
How yirred is actually used
Chiefly Scottish and now uncommon in everyday English. Outside Scottish writing, the word is encountered mostly in literary, dialect, or historical texts.