sir·rah
Audio Help [sir-uh] Pronunciation Key
Audio Help [sir-uh] Pronunciation Key –noun Archaic.
| a term of address used to inferiors or children to express impatience, contempt, etc. |
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
Sirrah
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| © 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |
| sir·rah
Audio Help (sĭr'ə) Pronunciation Key
n. Obsolete Mister; fellow. Used as a contemptuous form of address. [Alteration of sir.] |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
sirrah
1526, term of address used to men or boys expressing anger or contempt, archaic extended form of sir (in U.S., siree, attested from 1823).
| Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper |
| sirrah | |
noun | |
| formerly a contemptuous term of address to an inferior man or boy; often used in anger |
| WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
Sirrah
Sir\, n. [OE. sire, F. sire, contr. from the nominative L. senior an elder, elderly person, compar. of senex,senis, an aged person; akin to Gr. ??? old, Skr. sana, Goth. sineigs old, sinista eldest, Ir. & Gael. sean old, W. hen. Cf. Seignior, Senate, Seneschal, Senior, Senor, Signor, Sire, Sirrah.]1. A man of social authority and dignity; a lord; a master; a gentleman; -- in this sense usually spelled sire. [Obs.] He was crowned lord and sire. --Gower. In the election of a sir so rare. --Shak. 2. A title prefixed to the Christian name of a knight or a baronet. Sir Horace Vere, his brother, was the principal in the active part. --Bacon. 3. An English rendering of the LAtin Dominus, the academical title of a bachelor of arts; -- formerly colloquially, and sometimes contemptuously, applied to the clergy. --Nares. Instead of a faithful and painful teacher, they hire a Sir John, which hath better skill in playing at tables, or in keeping of a garden, than in God's word. --Latimer. 4. A respectful title, used in addressing a man, without being prefixed to his name; -- used especially in speaking to elders or superiors; sometimes, also, used in the way of emphatic formality. "What's that to you, sir?" --Sheridan. Note: Anciently, this title, was often used when a person was addressed as a man holding a certain office, or following a certain business. "Sir man of law." "Sir parish priest." --Chaucer. Sir reverance. See under Reverence, n.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
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