Sire

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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]

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References

  1. Jane Mills (April 1992). Womanwords: a dictionary of words about women. Free Press. p. 62. ISBN   978-0-02-921495-4.