signore

Forms

signore m (masculine plural signori, feminine signora, feminine plural signore, diminutive signorìno, augmentative signoròtto or signoróne (“rich man”))^[1] Before names and titles it is shortened to signor: il signor Bianchi.^[2][3] The old form is segnore.^[2][3][1] Shortened forms are sor, feminine sora, and Venetian and Friulian sior.^[4][5]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin senior (“older”), in the accusative seniōrem, the comparative of senex (“old”).^[6][7][8][1] In classical Latin ⟨senior⟩ was a man between 45 and 60.^[6][4] It became a title in late Latin, in the Notitia dignitatum, Ammianus, Isidore and Gregory of Tours, and in the Salic and Visigothic laws it named nobles; by the 8th century it had taken the place of Latin dominus (“lord”).^[6][5] Nocentini explains the change by the age of the men who sat in the king's council, as with senātor and Ancient Greek πρεσβύτερος (presbúteros, “elder”),^[7] and Meyer-Lübke stresses its use in Christian Latin as a translation of the Greek word.^[9] Bezzola thought the Italian title might have come from France;^[6] DELI, citing Meyer-Lübke's Italian evidence, finds that doubtful but allows strong French influence.^[6]

The same word is French seigneur, Occitan senhor, Catalan senyor, Spanish señor and Portuguese senhor.^[7][9] The words sire, ser and messere continue the Latin nominative senior, partly through Old French sire.^[5][7][1]

Latin senex goes back to Proto-Italic *seno- and Proto-Indo-European *sen- (“old”), with Old Irish sen, Sanskrit सन (sána), Lithuanian senas and Gothic 𐍃𐌹𐌽𐌴𐌹𐌲𐍃 (sineigs).^[10]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is the Breve di Montieri of 1219, for the holder of a domain, a lord or ruler.^[6][8] The sense “God, Christ” is in St Francis, about 1224.^[6]

Semantic evolution

The word meant a master in the Novellino (late 13th century), and Boccaccio (1353) puts it before a man's name or title.^[6] In the 16th century, as Migliorini showed, the title spread widely under Spanish influence: in a satire of 1519 Ariosto complained that “la vile adulazion spagnuola / messe la signoria fin in bordello” (vile Spanish flattery brought lordship even into the brothel).^[6] DEI notes that the title became commonplace at the end of the 19th century.^[5]

The sense “gentleman” is in Foscolo, before 1827, and “rich man” in a collection of Tuscan proverbs of 1853.^[6] In popular speech signore became an adjective meaning “excellent”, as in un signor pranzo, which Tommaseo recorded as familiar.^[6][11] English took signor in the 1570s,^[12][13] French signor in 1643 and German Signore in 1479.^[13]

Timeline

• 1219 – A lord or ruler in the Breve di Montieri.^[6][8]
• About 1224 – “The Lord” in St Francis.^[6]
• Late 13th century – “Master” in the Novellino.^[6]
• 1353 – A title before a name, in Boccaccio.^[6]
• 1479 – German Signore is first recorded.^[13]
• 1519 – Ariosto complains of the spread of the title.^[6]
• 1570s – English signor.^[12]
• Before 1827 – “Gentleman” in Foscolo.^[6]

Meanings

Noun

1. Mister, sir: a title of courtesy before a man's name or title, or used to address him: il signor Ferri, scusi, signore.^[8][2][3]
2. A gentleman, a man, said politely: c'è un signore che ti cerca.^[8][3][14]
3. In the plural, ladies and gentlemen, people: i signori desiderano?, signore e signori.^[8][3]
4. A refined, courteous man: si è comportato da vero signore.^[8][3][15]
5. A rich man: ora vive come un signore; in the plural, the rich.^[8][3][14]
6. The master of a house, to servants: il signore è fuori.^[8][16][15]
7. (history) A lord holding a fief or ruling a state: i signori di Mantova.^[8][16][14]
8. (capitalized) The Lord, God or Christ: lodare il Signore.^[8][16][14]

Adjective

1. (colloquial) Excellent, first-rate: un signor risotto.^[14][15][1]

Word family

• signora
• signorina
• signorino
• signoria
• signorile
• signorilità
• signoreggiare
• signorotto
• signorone
• signorsì
• signornò

Related words

• sire
• ser
• messere
• monsignore
• seniore
• senile
• Latin senex
• French seigneur
• Spanish señor

Usage notes

In writing the title is abbreviated sig.^[8][2] The replies signorsì and signornò are used to superiors, especially in the army.^[2][6] Monsignore comes from French monseigneur and entered church usage while the popes were at Avignon.^[7]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
3. ^ a b c d e f g Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
4. ^ a b Prati, Angelico (1951), Vocabolario etimologico italiano, Milano: Garzanti, p. 918
5. ^ a b c d Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 3493
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
7. ^ a b c d e Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
9. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
10. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
11. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
12. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
13. ^ a b c Stammerjohann, Harro, et al. (2008), Dizionario di italianismi in francese, inglese, tedesco, Firenze: Accademia della Crusca; online at difit.italianisticaonline.it
14. ^ a b c d e Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
15. ^ a b c Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
16. ^ a b c Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli