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monsieur

 - 4 dictionary results

mon⋅sieur

  [muhs-yur; Fr. muh-syœ]
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–noun, plural mes⋅sieurs  [meys-yurz, mes-erz; Fr. me-syœ] .
the conventional French title of respect and term of address for a man, corresponding to Mr. or sir.
Origin:
1490–1500; < F: lit., my lord (orig. applied only to men of high station); see sire
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Mon·sieur   (mə-syɶ')   
n.   pl. Mes·sieurs (mā-syɶ', měs'ərz)

  1. Abbr. M. Used as a courtesy title before the surname, full name, or professional title of a man in a French-speaking area: Monsieur Cartier; Monsieur Jacques Cartier.

  2. monsieur Used as a form of polite address for a man in a French-speaking area.


[French, from Old French : mon, my (from Latin meum, accusative of meus; see me-1 in Indo-European roots) + sieur, lord, sir (from Vulgar Latin *seiorem, accusative of *seior; see sire).]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

monsieur 
1512, from Fr., from mon sieur "my lord," from sieur "lord," shortened form of seigneur (see monseigneur) It was the historical title for the second son or next younger brother of the king of France.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia

monsieur

the French equivalent both of "sir" (in addressing a man directly) and of "mister," or "Mr." Etymologically it means "my lord" (mon sieur).

Learn more about monsieur with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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