French word

monseigneur

Pronunciation

IPA/mɔ̃sɛɲœʁ/

Meaning

  • masculine nounhis excellency

Example

Le monseigneur est arrivé.

His Excellency has arrived.

Illustration for monseigneur (his excellency)

More examples

Elle a murmuré «Bonjour monseigneur» en le voyant.

She whispered, "Hello, Monsignor," upon seeing him.

Core concept

A ceremonious title placed on a high-ranking religious or noble person.

Similar words

monsieur: A standard title of respect for an adult man in everyday address.

Definition in French

Forme d'adresse honorifique employée pour s'adresser à une personne de haute dignité, notamment un évêque ou un aristocrate, marquant un grand respect.

Word origin

Monseigneur comes from Old French mon seignor, meaning 'my lord', with seignor descending from Latin senior, 'older'.

Usage tips

  • Monseigneur belongs mainly to formal, religious, or historical usage and is not the everyday replacement for monsieur.

Other meanings

  • his highnessnoun
  • monsignornoun

Word lists with this word