monseigneur

Forms

monseigneur m (plural messeigneurs or nosseigneurs)^[1] Old French mon seignor; the plural messeigneurs is recorded about 1350, and nosseigneurs is rare after 1650.^[2][3] Anglo-Norman spellings include munseignur, monseignour and mounseigneur.^[4] Abbreviated Mgr, plural Mgrs.^[5][6]

Etymology

It is a compound from French mon + seigneur, “my lord”.^[2][7][3][1] The second part goes back to Latin senior (“older”), the comparative of senex (“old man”), which became a term of respect especially in Church Latin.^[8][9] In the old language messire served as the nominative and this word as the oblique case, as monsieur was formed on sieur.^[10][3]

Compare Old Occitan monsegnor, Spanish monseñor and Italian monsignore.^[10]

Earliest recorded meaning

Wace's Roman de Rou (1160–1174) has mon seignor as a title before the name of a saint.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

From the 13th century it was a title given to people of rank: Robert de Clari uses it of a noble in 1216.^[2][3] It was also used in addressing a priest (1250) and, from the Roman de Renart on, before the names of personified animals, a use kept in the classical fable.^[3] About 1350 it is found before the names of cardinals and great prelates, and later, by extension, servants used it of the master of the house.^[3][11] Under Louis XIV Monseigneur alone meant the Dauphin (1690, Furetière); in the 18th century and again under Napoleon I it was the title of ministers and generals.^[11][3] Richelet in 1680 defines it as the title given to one's true sovereign and to the most eminent people of the Church, the robe and the sword.^[2] Today it is used only for princes of sovereign houses and for bishops and other prelates.^[3][5]

By an obscure development it also named a burglar's lever for forcing doors: Rey dates this to 1723 and the compound pince-monseigneur to 1827, the TLFi dates monseigneur “small lever” to 1827, and the GLLF to 1829, in Vidocq.^[3][2][11]

Timeline

• 1160–1174 – Wace writes mon seignor before a saint's name.^[2]
• 1216 – Robert de Clari uses it as the title of a noble.^[2]
• 1250 – It is used in addressing a priest.^[3]
• c. 1350 – The plural messeigneurs; the title of cardinals and prelates.^[3]
• 1680 – Richelet defines it as a title of sovereigns and eminent persons.^[2]
• 1690 – Furetière records Monseigneur for the Dauphin.^[11]
• 1704 – Monseigneuriser “to call someone monseigneur”.^[2][3]
• 1827 – Monseigneur “small lever” and pince-monseigneur.^[2][3]

Meanings

Noun

1. A title of honour given to princes of sovereign houses and to cardinals, archbishops, bishops and prelates: Monseigneur l'évêque viendra demain.^[5][6][12]
2. (historical) The title of the Grand Dauphin, son of Louis XIV, and of the later dauphins of France.^[6][11]
3. Pince-monseigneur: a burglar's lever for forcing locks.^[5]

Word family

• monseigneuriser
• pince-monseigneur

Related words

• monsieur
• nosseigneurs
• seigneur
• messire
• Latin senior

Usage notes

The plural is messeigneurs or, rarely, nosseigneurs; the abbreviation Mgr takes no full stop.^[6][1]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
5. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b c d Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
7. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
9. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 11, 453b
10. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
11. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
12. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)