Etymology Map
Back to all words

Sirloin

2 stages from Old French to English.

Today it means the best part of a loin of beef

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

1
Stage 1 of 2
surlonge
Old French · 1300s
"upper loin"
sur 'above' + longe 'loin', the cut from the upper part of the loin
2
Stage 2 of 2
sirloin
English · 1500s
"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
Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Read the full story

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.