Where does “Sir” come from?
Sir comes from Middle English sire, from Old French sire, from Latin senior, the comparative form of senex meaning old or elder.
Sir (English): Alternative letter-case form of sir; The titular...
Definitions
- Alternative letter-case form of sir; The titular...
Ancestry of “Sir”, step by step
Sir traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English sire
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | sire | A lord, master, or other person in authority,... |
| 2 | Middle English | sire | Used preceding the name or title of a knight,... |
| 3 | Old French | sire | nominative singular of sieur; master, sir, lord;... |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | seior | — |
| 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 |
via Middle English sir
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | sir | Alternative form of sire |