''Maître'' (spelled ''Maitre'' according to
post-1990 spelling rules) is a commonly used
honorific for
lawyers,
judicial officers
The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...
and
notaries in
France,
Belgium,
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
and French-speaking parts of
Canada.
It is often written in its abbreviated form ''M
e'' or plural ''M
es'' in
Belgian French and
Canadian English
Canadian English (CanE, CE, en-CA) encompasses the varieties of English native to Canada. According to the 2016 census, English was the first language of 19.4 million Canadians or 58.1% of the total population; the remainder spoke French ( ...
.
The origin of the honorific ''Maître'' is from the
civil law tradition, and still widely used in
France and
Québec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...
.
See also
*
Esquire#Usage in the United States, equivalent honorific for lawyers in American English
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maitre
Honorifics
Mai
Law of Belgium
French words and phrases