monsignor

Etymology

It is borrowed from Italian monsignore (“my lord”),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} which is from French monseigneur, remodelled after Italian signore (“lord”).^[2][7][8][4] Etymonline describes it as formed on the model of the French title from the equivalent Italian elements.^[3] The Italian word is recorded from the 13th century, and before a name it usually has the form monsignor.^[2][5] The French title, recorded in Old French from 1216,^[2] is formed from mon (“my”) and seigneur (“lord”),^[3][6] which go back to the accusative forms of Latin meus (“my”) and senior (“older”).^[3][6] Anglo-Norman used munseignur from the mid-13th century for "my lord", of a man of rank.^[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

An honorific title of, or a form of address to, a Roman Catholic churchman of high rank: 1579, in a letter of R. Persons.^[2][5] The OED revised this date; its 1989 edition began with 1641.^[2][10] Other dictionaries give later dates: Merriam-Webster's Collegiate 1607,^[11] Etymonline the 1640s,^[3] Dictionary.com 1635–45^[12] and Barnhart 1670.^[4]

Semantic evolution

From 1611 the word also named the churchman himself, a person entitled to be addressed as Monsignor.^[2] The title came to be attached to certain offices or distinctions, usually conferred by the pope,^[13][14] and it is also given to officers of the papal court and household.^[7][3] The adjective monsignorial is recorded from 1876.^[10]

Timeline

• 1579 – an honorific title of a Roman Catholic churchman.^[2][5]
• 1611 – a churchman holding this title.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A title of honour given to certain Roman Catholic clerics, usually conferred by the pope, and used before the name: Monsignor Rossi celebrated the evening Mass.^{[13][5][14][2]}
2. A cleric who holds this title.^[14][2][5]

Word family

• monsignorial

Related words

• monseigneur
• signor
• signore
• seigneur
• senior

Usage notes

It is usually written with a capital letter.^[2][13] The plural is monsignors or the Italian monsignori, and the title is abbreviated Mgr or Msgr.^[13][5] The Shorter Oxford also records the full Italian form Monsignore.^[7]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
5. ^ a b c d e f g Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
7. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
8. ^ Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
9. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
10. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
11. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
12. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
13. ^ a b c d Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
14. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin