Link Centre Dictionary

sir

UK/sɪɾ/ US/sɜː/ very common informal uk

noun

1.

term of address for a man

2.

a title used before the name of knight or baronet

Origin

From Middle English sir, unstressed form of sire, borrowed from Old French sire (“master, sir, lord”), from Latin senior (“older, elder”), from senex (“old”). Doublet of seigneur, seignior, senhor, senior, señor, senyor, signore, and sire.

Phrases

  • dear Sir
  • dear Sir or Madam
  • dear Sirs
  • don't call me sir, I work for a living
  • Sir Francis Drake Channel
  • Sir John Lack-Latin
  • sir sandwich

Related words

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.