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
Ancestry of “monsieur”, step by step
| 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 |
Words derived from “monsieur”