sir

Where does the word "sir" come from? It comes from Latin senior, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).

Sir’s story begins in Latin: senior meant “older.” Comparative of 'senex', old, the root of 'senior' and 'senate'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as sire. 'sire' addressed kings; the shortened 'sir' went to knights. It reached English by 1300s as sir. Now a general polite form of address. Today, sir means a polite form of address to a man.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient senior "older", comparative of 'senex', old, the root of 'senior' and 'senate'.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval sire "lord", 'sire' addressed kings; the shortened 'sir' went to knights.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1300s sir "title of respect", now a general polite form of address.