seigneur French · revision 16536

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=842, Serments de Strasbourg (sendra)|origins=la senex}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /sɛ.ɲœʁ/^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA: /se.ɲœʁ/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''seigneur''' ''m'' (plural seigneurs, feminine seigneuresse or seigneuse)^(Wiktionary)

+ Old French nominative ''sendra'' (842), soon replaced by [[sire]]; oblique ''senior'' (about 980), ''seignur'', ''seignor'' (''Chanson de Roland''); ''seigneur'' from the 12th–13th century.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Grand Robert 2005)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|fro|seignor]], [[inh|la|senior|alt=seniōrem|t=older; an elder]], the accusative of “senior”, comparative of [[m|la|senex|t=old]].^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(FEW|11, 448b) Already in the 1st century “senior” was a term of respect, and in Christian Latin it named the head of a community, a bishop or a king; it took the place of [[m|la|dominus|t=master]] for persons of high rank.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989) The Latin nominative gave Old French “sendra”, replaced by “sire”, and “sieur” too comes from this word.^(TLFi)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(DHLF 1992) Rey compares [[ga|sen|t=old]] and Vedic “sánaḥ”.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ Cognate with [[it|signore]], [[oc|senhor]], [[ca|senyor]], [[es|señor]] and [[pt|senhor]].^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(REW 1935) [[senior]] is a doublet, taken from English.^(Wiktionary)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The Strasbourg Oaths (842) speak of ''Karlus meos sendra'' “Charles my lord”, the man on whom lands and persons depend.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ From the first texts it was also a name for God: ''Nostre Senior'' (about 980), whence ''Notre-Seigneur'' for Christ, ''le jour du Seigneur'' and the interjection ''Seigneur !'' (Mme de Sévigné, 1680).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(GLLF 1989) Old French used it for a husband (about 1050), a master and an owner, and as a form of address, ''mon seigneur et maître'' “my husband” is a jest of Molière's (1662).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ It is a historical term for the feudal lord of lands and men, and a title kept until the end of the Ancien Régime, used constantly in classical tragedy (''Seigneur'', Corneille, 1642).^(DHLF 1992)^(TLFi) ''Grand seigneur'' (1250) came to mean a rich man, as in ''faire le grand seigneur'' (1690) and ''vivre en grand seigneur'', ''le Grand Seigneur'' was the Turkish sultan (Montaigne, 1580).^(DHLF 1992)^(GLLF 1989) ''À tout seigneur tout honneur'' is found in Noël du Fail (1547).^(BHVF)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 842 – ''Sendra'', Strasbourg Oaths.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 980 – ''Nostre Senior'', the Lord, ''Passion'' of Clermont.^(GLLF 1989)

+ * c. 1050 – ''Seignor'', a lord; a husband, ''Vie de saint Alexis''.^(TLFi)

+ * 12th century – ''Seigneurie'' and ''monseigneur''.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+ * 1250 – ''Grand seigneur''.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1349 – ''A tous seigneurs toutes honneurs'', Machaut.^(TLFi)

+ * 1580 – ''Le Grand Seigneur'', Montaigne.^(GLLF 1989)

+ * 1642 – ''Seigneur'' as an address, Corneille.^(TLFi)

+ * 1680 – The interjection ''Seigneur !''.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # ''(historical)'' A feudal [[m|en|lord]], the holder of a fief: ''le seigneur et ses vassaux''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Le Robert)^(Larousse)

+ # ''(literary)'' A master, ruler: ''seigneur et maître'', ''(jocular)'' ''mon seigneur et maître'', my husband.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Larousse)

+ # ''(dated)'' A nobleman of high rank; a title or form of address: ''haut et puissant seigneur'', ''Seigneur'' in classical tragedy.^(Littré 1873)^(DHLF 1992)

+ # ''Grand seigneur'': a man who lives in style: ''vivre en grand seigneur''.^(DHLF 1992)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''Le Seigneur'': the Lord, God; also ''Notre-Seigneur'', Christ, and the exclamation ''Seigneur !'' “Good Lord!”.^(DHLF 1992)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(Canada, historical)'' The holder of a seigneury.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[seigneurie]]

+ * [[seigneurial]]

+ * [[monseigneur]]

+ * [[seigneuriage]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[seigneuresse]]

+ * [[sire]]

+ * [[sieur]]

+ * [[monsieur]]

+ * [[senior]]

+ * [[sénile]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''À tout seigneur tout honneur'' “honour to whom honour is due” is the usual form of the proverb from 1606, Machaut has ''a tous seigneurs toutes honneurs'' (1349).^(TLFi)^(BHVF)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}