Sire
Form of address to reigning kings
Sire is an archaic respectful form of address to reigning kings in Europe. In French and other languages it is less archaic and relatively more current.[citation needed] In Belgium, the king is addressed as "Sire..." in both Dutch and French.[citation needed]
The words "sire" and "sir", as well as the French "(mon)sieur" and the Spanish "señor", share a common etymological origin, all ultimately being related to the Latin senior. The female equivalent form of address is dame or dam.[1]
See also
- Forms of address in the United Kingdom
- King
- Nobility
References
- ^ Jane Mills (April 1992). Womanwords: a dictionary of words about women. Free Press. p. 62. ISBN 978-0-02-921495-4.
