Where does “monseigneur” come from?
monseigneur (Dutch) comes from French Monseigneur, from French Seigneur, from Middle French seigneur, from Old French seignor, from Latin senior, from Latin senex, from Proto-Indo-European sénos — old.
monseigneur (Dutch): Monsignor
Ancestry of “monseigneur”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | Monseigneur | Alternative letter-case form of monseigneur |
| 2 | French | Seigneur | Lord |
| 3 | Middle French | seigneur | lord; sire |
| 4 | Old French | seignor | lord; sire; master |
| 5 | Latin | senior | older, elder; rather old; a lord, sir; an abbot |
| 6 | Latin | senex | old, aged, elderly; old person, old man, old... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sénos | old |