French Conversation · Level 190
16 words
French word
messire
Pronunciation
IPA/mesiʁ/
Meaning
- masculine nounmy lord
Example
Le serviteur répondit: «Oui, messire.»
The servant replied: Yes, my lord.
More examples
Messire, votre café est servi.
My lord, your coffee is served.
Core concept
A medieval servant addressing a noble lord with a formal title of respect.
Similar words
monsieur: A standard modern French polite form of address for a man.
Definition in French
Ancienne formule d'adresse pour interpeller un homme noble, employée dans un contexte seigneurial comme marque de respect.
Word origin
Old French formed messire from mes, 'my', and sire, 'lord'; sire ultimately comes from Latin senior, 'older'.
Usage tips
- Messire is archaic and literary, so modern French normally uses monsieur for respectful address.
Other meanings
- sirnoun