Sire

Sire (/saɪər/, French pronunciation: [siʁ]) is an archaic respectful form of address to reigning kings in Europe. In French and other languages it is rare but used in literary contexts.

The words "sire" and "sir", as well as the French "(mon)sieur", the Spanish "señor", and the Portuguese "senhor", share a common etymological origin, all ultimately being related to the Latin senior. The female equivalent form of address is dame or dam.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "sire". Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language] (in French). 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2026.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ↑ Jane Mills (April 1992). Womanwords: a dictionary of words about women. Free Press. p. 62. ISBN 978-0-02-921495-4.