sirloin

Where does the word "sirloin" come from? It comes from Old French surlonge, and was adopted directly into English (1500s).

Sirloin’s story begins in Old French: surlonge meant “upper loin.” Sur 'above' + longe 'loin', the cut from the upper part of the loin. It reached English by 1500s as sirloin. First recorded in 1525; the story that a king knighted the joint (told of Henry VIII, James I or Charles II) appears by 1655, but the name is older than all of them. Today, sirloin means the best part of a loin of beef.

1. Stage 1 · Old French · 1300s surlonge "upper loin", sur 'above' + longe 'loin', the cut from the upper part of the loin.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1500s sirloin "prime beef cut", first recorded in 1525; the story that a king knighted the joint (told of Henry VIII, James I or Charles II) appears by 1655, but the name is older than all of them.