Where does “monsieur” come from?
monsieur (French) comes from French mon, from French oncle, from Middle French oncle, from Old French oncle, from Vulgar Latin aunclum, from Latin avunculus, from Proto-Indo-European h₂éwh₂os — maternal grandfather; maternal uncle.
monsieur (French): mister, sir; gentleman
Definitions
- mister, sir; gentleman
Ancestry of “monsieur”, step by step
monsieur traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via French mon
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | mon | my; Followed by rank, obligatory way of... |
| 2 | French | oncle | uncle |
| 3 | Middle French | oncle | uncle |
| 4 | Old French | oncle | uncle |
| 5 | Vulgar Latin | aunclum | — |
| 6 | Latin | avunculus | maternal uncle, mother's brother; mother's... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂éwh₂os | maternal grandfather; maternal uncle |
via French sieur
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | sieur | sir, Mr., lord; title of respect for a man |
| 2 | Old French | sire | nominative singular of sieur; master, sir, lord;... |
| 3 | Vulgar Latin | seior | — |
| 4 | Latin | senior | older, elder; rather old; a lord, sir; an abbot |
| 5 | Latin | senex | old, aged, elderly; old person, old man, old... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | sénos | old |