sieur

Forms

sieur m (plural sieurs)^[1] Old French sor, seur (mon sor, mon seur).^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French sieur, inherited from Vulgar Latin *seiōrem, from Latin senior (“elder”).^[2][3][1] It was the old oblique case of sire, the nominative.^[2][3][4] The accusative of the full Latin form gave seigneur,^[1][3] and Littré took “sieur” for a contraction of that word.^[5] The corresponding Old Occitan forms were seior (1187) and siere (about 1250).^[3][2]

Cognate with Spanish señor and Italian signore.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first record, in a 1292 charter of Parthenay, means “lord”;^[2][6] the Grand Robert dates the word to 1242, and the variant mon sor was a title given to a saint in 1260.^[4][3][2]

Semantic evolution

The sense “lord of an estate” became archaic in the classical period but is still recorded in 1798; it widened to “owner (of a house, of a woman)” about 1430.^[3][5] It was a title of honour for a saint, a nobleman, a prelate (16th century) and, more modestly, a merchant (1679), and stayed in use until the Revolution.^[3][2]

Villon used it for a dupe (1457), and it is still used scornfully or ironically before a man's name (1644, Scarron).^[3][2] The Académie in 1694 limited its ordinary use to pleadings and public deeds, where it still stands before a man's name in legal style.^[2][3] The compound monsieur, first monsor (1297), became an independent word once the final ⟨r⟩ of sieur was no longer pronounced.^[3]

Timeline

• 1260 – Mon sor is used as a title for a saint.^[2][3]
• 1292 – A charter of Parthenay uses sieur for “lord”.^[2]
• 1297 – Monsor is recorded.^[3]
• c. 1430 – It means the master of a house.^[3][5]
• 1457 – Villon uses it for a dupe.^[3]
• 1644 – Scarron uses it ironically.^[2][6]
• 1694 – The Académie records it as a title used in legal pleadings and deeds.^[2][6]

Meanings

Noun

1. (archaic) A title of honour for a man of some rank, often with the name of an estate: le sieur de Vauban.^[2][6]
2. (law) A title placed before a man's name in legal documents, equivalent to monsieur: le sieur Martin.^[7][5][6]
3. (ironic, pejorative) Used scornfully before a man's name.^[7][6]

Word family

• monsieur

Related words

• sire
• seigneur
• senior

Usage notes

The Petit Robert notes the homophone scieur “sawyer”.^[7]

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 l m n 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 o Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
6. ^ a b c d e f Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
7. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert