What does sir mean?
Definitions for sir
sɜrsir
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word sir.
Princeton's WordNet
sirnoun
term of address for a man
Sirnoun
a title used before the name of knight or baronet
Wiktionary
sirnoun
A man of a higher rank or position.
sirnoun
An address to a military superior of either sex.
Yes sir.
sirnoun
An address to any male, especially if his name or proper address is unknown.
Excuse me, sir, could you tell me where the nearest bookstore is?
sirverb
to address somebody using sir
Please don't sir me!
Sirnoun
The titular prefix given to a knight or baronet
Etymology: From sir, from sire, from senior, from senex. Compare sire, signor, seignior, señor.
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
Sirnoun
Etymology: sire, Fr. seignior, Ital. senor, Spanish; senior, Latin.
Speak on, sir,
I dare your worst objections: if I blush,
It is to see a nobleman want manners. William Shakespeare, H. VIII.But, sirs, be sudden in the execution;
Withal obdurate; do not let him plead. William Shakespeare, R. III.Sir king,
This man is better than the man he slew. William Shakespeare.At a banquet the ambassador desired the wise men to deliver every one of them some sentence or parable, that he might report to his king, which they did: only one was silent, which the ambassador perceiving, said to him, sir, let it not displease you; why do not you say somewhat that I may report? He answered, report to your lord, that there are that can hold their peace. Francis Bacon, Apophthegms.
Sir Quintus Horatius Flaccus, his brother, was the principal in the active part. Francis Bacon, War with Spain.
The court forsakes him, and sir Balaam hangs. Alexander Pope.
I have adventur’d
To try your taking of a false report, which hath
Honour’d with confirmation your great judgment,
In the election of a sir so rare. William Shakespeare, Cymbeline.He lost his roast-beef stomach, not being able to touch a sir-loin which was served up. Addison.
And the strong table groans
Beneath the smoaking sir-loin, stretch’d immense
From side to side. James Thomson, Autumn.It would be ridiculous, indeed, if a spit which is strong enough to turn a sir-loin of beef, should not be able to turn a lark. Jonathan Swift.
Wikipedia
Sir
Sir is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as part of "Monsieur", with the equivalent "My Lord" in English. Traditionally, as governed by law and custom, Sir is used for men titled as knights, often as members of orders of chivalry, as well as later applied to baronets and other offices. As the female equivalent for knighthood is damehood, the suo jure female equivalent term is typically Dame. The wife of a knight or baronet tends to be addressed as Lady, although a few exceptions and interchanges of these uses exist. Additionally, since the late modern period, Sir has been used as a respectful way to address a man of superior social status or military rank. Equivalent terms of address for women are Madam (shortened to Ma'am), in addition to social honorifics such as Mrs, Ms or Miss.
ChatGPT
sir
A general definition for "sir" is a title or form of address used to respectfully and formally address a man, typically someone of higher social status or authority. It is often used to show politeness and deference in professional or formal settings.
Webster Dictionary
Sirnoun
a man of social authority and dignity; a lord; a master; a gentleman; -- in this sense usually spelled sire
Sirnoun
a title prefixed to the Christian name of a knight or a baronet
Sirnoun
an English rendering of the LAtin Dominus, the academical title of a bachelor of arts; -- formerly colloquially, and sometimes contemptuously, applied to the clergy
Sirnoun
a respectful title, used in addressing a man, without being prefixed to his name; -- used especially in speaking to elders or superiors; sometimes, also, used in the way of emphatic formality
Etymology: [OE. sire, F. sire, contr. from the nominative L. senior an elder, elderly person, compar. of senex,senis, an aged person; akin to Gr. old, Skr. sana, Goth. sineigs old, sinista eldest, Ir. & Gael. sean old, W. hen. Cf. Seignior, Senate, Seneschal, Senior, Senor, Signor, Sire, Sirrah.]
Wikidata
Sir
Sir is an honorific address used as a courtesy title to address a man without using his given name or family name in many English speaking cultures. It is often used in formal correspondence. The term is often reserved for use only towards one of superior rank or status, such as an educator, or as a form of address from a merchant to a customer. Equivalent terms of address are "ma'am" or "madam" in most cases, or in the case of a very young woman, girl, or unmarried woman who prefers to be addressed as such, "miss". The equivalent term for a knighted woman is Dame, or "Lady" for the wife of a knight.
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
Sir
sėr, n. a word of respect used in addressing a man: a gentleman: the title of a knight or baronet, used along with the Christian name and surname, as 'Sir David Pole:' formerly a common title of address for the clergy as a translation of L. dominus, the term used for a bachelor of arts, originally in contradistinction from the magister, or master of arts—hence Sir John=a priest.—v.t. to address as 'sir.' [O. Fr. sire, through O. Fr. senre, from L. senior, an elder, comp. of senex, old. Cf. the parallel forms Sire, Senior, Seignior, Signor.]
Dictionary of Nautical Terms
sir
Once a scholastic title applied to priests and curates; now to knights. "Aye, aye, sir," is the well-known answer from seamen, denoting 'cuteness, combined with good humour and obedience.
Military Dictionary and Gazetteer
sir
The title of a knight or baronet, which, for distinction’s sake, is always prefixed to the knight’s or baronet’s Christian name, either in speaking or in writing to him.
Editors Contribution
SIR
Sneeze in rag
Excuse me I'm about to sir in that rag over there
Submitted by KING E on January 22, 2017
Suggested Resources
sir
Song lyrics by sir -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by sir on the Lyrics.com website.
SIR
What does SIR stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the SIR acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.
Surnames Frequency by Census Records
SIR
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Sir is ranked #78040 in terms of the most common surnames in America.
The Sir surname appeared 245 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 would have the surname Sir.
63.6% or 156 total occurrences were White.
19.5% or 48 total occurrences were Asian.
11.4% or 28 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
3.6% or 9 total occurrences were Black.
Matched Categories
British National Corpus
Spoken Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'sir' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #504
Written Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'sir' in Written Corpus Frequency: #603
Nouns Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'sir' in Nouns Frequency: #199
Anagrams for sir »
RSI
IRS
ISR
sri
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of sir in Chaldean Numerology is: 6
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of sir in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1
Examples of sir in a Sentence
This is why I think people want you to run for president, and I know that’s an emotional decision. But it’s going to be emotional for a lot of people if you don’t run. And sir, I just want to say I think your experience and your example of suffering and service is something that would be sorely missed in the race.
Well, of course, all they had to do was hear -- just you don't know the way it was asked. I was looking at you, no sir. I wasn't there yesterday.
They said,' Sir,' Secret Service said,' Sir, you can not go. We are not prepared. You can not go.' Because it was supposed to be helicopter, but the helicopter couldn't fly because of zero visibility.
A man said to the Universe: "Sir, I exist!" "However," replied the Universe, "the fact has not created in me a sense of obligation."
I met Sir Richard Branson at a Virgin Unite conference last year, i was not going to leave the building until I met Sir Richard Branson. Sir Richard Branson’s the nicest person I’ve ever met.
Popularity rank by frequency of use
References
Translations for sir
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- أستاذ, سيد, حضرتك, سيدي المحترم, سيدي, أفنديArabic
- пан, спадарBelarusian
- господинBulgarian
- pánCzech
- hrDanish
- HerrGerman
- κύριος, ΣέρGreek
- SinjoroEsperanto
- señorSpanish
- آقاPersian
- sirFinnish
- monsieur, seigneurFrench
- אדוני, המפקדHebrew
- श्री, सर, महोदय, साहिब, श्रीमानHindi
- úr, uramHungarian
- պարոնArmenian
- tuanIndonesian
- signoreItalian
- だんな様, サー, だんなJapanese
- ಸರ್Kannada
- 선생님, 씨Korean
- کاکKurdish
- dominusLatin
- sersLatvian
- господине, господинMacedonian
- ဦးBurmese
- meneer, mijnheer, heerDutch
- sirNorwegian
- panPolish
- senhorPortuguese
- domn, domnuleRomanian
- сударь, товарищ, сэр, господинRussian
- herrSwedish
- ஐயாTamil
- సర్Telugu
- efendim, komutanım, beyefendiTurkish
- пан, серUkrainian
- صاحبUrdu
- 先生Chinese
Get even more translations for sir »
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