Surloyne

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An old spelling for a choice cut of beef taken from the upper part of the animal's back near the loin
2. A archaic term for the tender joint of beef cut from the top section of the loin along the back
3. Obsolete name for a prized cut of beef from the upper loin, now usually written as sirloin

Etymology: The story of "surloyne" is a folk tale that has outlasted its evidence. According to the legend repeated for centuries, King James I of England, dining on a loin of beef, was so delighted that he knighted the joint on the spot, declaring it "Sir Loin." It is a charming story, but it is a myth: the word is much older than any such knighting, and the name comes from plain French rather than a royal jest. The word was borrowed from Anglo-Norman or Old French "surlonge," formed from "sur," meaning "over" or "above," and "longe," meaning "loin." Lonely as a term for the back of an animal, the loin lay above the cut in question, so the name literally meant "above the loin." English spellings wandered for centuries, including "surloyne" and "surloin," before "sirloin" became standard, probably through a mistaken sense that the first part was the familiar "sir."

Synonyms: sirloin