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

  1. sirnoun

    term of address for a man

  2. Sirnoun

    a title used before the name of knight or baronet

Wiktionary

  1. sirnoun

    A man of a higher rank or position.

  2. sirnoun

    An address to a military superior of either sex.

    Yes sir.

  3. 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?

  4. sirverb

    to address somebody using sir

    Please don't sir me!

  5. Sirnoun

    The titular prefix given to a knight or baronet

  6. Etymology: From sir, from sire, from senior, from senex. Compare sire, signor, seignior, señor.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. 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

  1. 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

  1. 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

  1. Sirnoun

    a man of social authority and dignity; a lord; a master; a gentleman; -- in this sense usually spelled sire

  2. Sirnoun

    a title prefixed to the Christian name of a knight or a baronet

  3. 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

  4. 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

  5. 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

  1. 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

  1. 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

  1. 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

  1. 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

  1. 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

  1. sir

    Song lyrics by sir -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by sir on the Lyrics.com website.

  2. SIR

    What does SIR stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the SIR acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.

Surnames Frequency by Census Records

  1. 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

  1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'sir' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #504

  2. Written Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'sir' in Written Corpus Frequency: #603

  3. Nouns Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'sir' in Nouns Frequency: #199

Anagrams for sir »

  1. RSI

  2. IRS

  3. ISR

  4. sri

How to pronounce sir?

How to say sir in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of sir in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of sir in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of sir in a Sentence

  1. Stephen Colbert:

    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.

  2. President Trump:

    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.

  3. Donald Trump:

    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.

  4. Stephen Crane:

    A man said to the Universe: "Sir, I exist!" "However," replied the Universe, "the fact has not created in me a sense of obligation."

  5. Ollie Forsyth:

    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

sir#1#3642#10000

Translations for sir

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

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"sir." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/sir>.

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