French word

sire

Pronunciation

IPA/siʁ/

Meaning

  • masculine nounking

Example

Le sire marcha vers le balcon.

The king walked toward the balcony.

Illustration for sire (king)

More examples

Dans les récits historiques, on appelle le roi le sire.

In historical accounts, the king is called "sire".

Core concept

A courtly speaker addressing a monarch before an assembled court.

Similar words

roi: A man who rules a kingdom as its sovereign and head of state.

Definition in French

Forme d'adresse traditionnelle employée pour s'adresser à un roi ou à un souverain, particulièrement dans un contexte cérémoniel ou littéraire.

Word origin

French sire comes through Old French from Latin senior, meaning 'older', and became a title of address for feudal lords and rulers.

Usage tips

  • In direct address, Sire commonly appears without an article, as in Sire, veuillez entrer, while le sire refers to the person as a noun.

Opposites

Word lists with this word