Monsieur

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /məˈsjʊə(ɹ)/

Definitions

1. A French title of respect used for a man, equivalent to "mister" or "sir" in English
2. A term of courtesy in French addressing a male person, often equivalent to "mister" or a respectful form of "sir" in English usage
3. This French designation is employed to show respect towards a man, corresponding to the English title "mister" or "sir"

Etymology: "Monsieur" is a compound of "mon," meaning "my," and "sieur," an old French word for "lord" or "sir," which descended from Latin "senior," meaning "older" or "elder." So the title literally means "my lord" or "my sir," the same kind of respectful address that "my lord" once carried in English. The word is a doublet of "monseigneur" and "monsignor," which come from the same French root and reached English in related forms. "Monseigneur" kept the fuller "my lord" sense and was used for French princes and high officials, while "monsieur" became the everyday polite address for any man. English borrowed the French title directly, so it appears in English with its French spelling and pronunciation intact.

Synonyms: mister, sir