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. In Belgium, the king is addressed as "Sire..." in both Dutch and French.
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
Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to:
* Senior (name), a surname ...
''. The female equivalent form of address is
dame
''Dame'' is an honorific title and the feminine form of address for the honour of damehood in many Christian chivalric orders, as well as the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British honours system and those of several oth ...
or dam.
See also
*
Forms of address in the United Kingdom Forms of address used in the United Kingdom are given below.
Terminology
Abbreviations
Several terms have been abbreviated in the tables below. The forms used in the table are given first, followed by alternative acceptable abbreviations in paren ...
*
King
*
Nobility
References
{{Social titles
Men's social titles
Nobility
Royal styles