heer

Heer is a German noun meaning "army" and is used to refer specifically to the land forces of the German-speaking world. In contemporary German, das Heer is the official designation of the army branch of the armed forces, with the other branches being Die Luftwaffe (air) and Die Marine (navy). The Heer operates as the largest service component of the Bundeswehr, Germany's post-World War II military, established in its current form in 1956.

Historically, the term also designated the land forces of the German Army in the Wehrmacht era from 1935 to 1945, when the ground forces were collectively known as the Heer. The concept of the army has roots in medieval and early modern German states, but the modern formal usage centers on the Bundeswehr and Wehrmacht legacies.

In other languages, notably Dutch and Afrikaans, heer means "gentleman" or "lord" and is used as a polite form of address (de Heer) and, as a surname, occurs in Dutch- and German-speaking communities. In religious contexts, de Heer translates as "the Lord," as in references to God.