Where does “Mr.” come from?
Mr. is the abbreviated form of English Mister, which derives from Old French maistre, meaning a master or teacher, ultimately from Latin magister in the same sense.
Mr. (English): Abbreviation of mister. A title used before the...
Definitions
- Abbreviation of mister. A title used before the...
Ancestry of “Mr.”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Mister | General title or respect of an adult male;... |
| 2 | Middle English | mister | A station, position, or rank in a hierarchy or... |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | mester | — |
| 4 | Medieval Latin | misterium | — |
| 5 | Latin | ministerium | ministry; employment, ministration; service |
| 6 | Latin | -ium | Suffix used to form abstract nouns, sometimes... |
| 7 | Latin | -ius | forming adjectives from nouns; nominative neuter... |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | -jōs | Forms comparative adjectives |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -yós | Creates adjectives from noun or verb stems |