Sir
See also: Appendix:Variations of "sir"
English
Noun
Sir (plural Sirs)
- Alternative letter-case form of sir.
- 1818, [Mary Shelley], chapter II, in Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. […], volume I, London: […] [Macdonald and Son] for Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones, →OCLC, pages 69–70:
- “Every minute,” continued M. Krempe with warmth, “every instant that you have wasted on those books is utterly and entirely lost. You have burdened your memory with exploded systems, and useless names. Good God! in what desert land have you lived, where no one was kind enough to inform you that these fancies, which you have so greedily imbibed, are a thousand years old, and as musty as they are ancient? I little expected in this enlightened and scientific age to find a disciple of Albertus Magnus and Paracelsus. My dear Sir, you must begin your studies entirely anew.”
- (British) The titular prefix given to a knight or baronet.
- (Philippines, colloquial or informal) A respectful term of address or reference to a man of higher rank or position before the man's given name or nickname.
Usage notes
- The title "Sir" is used with the knight's given or full name, but not his family name. If John Smith is knighted, he is known as Sir John Smith or Sir John, never Sir Smith, and he is correctly called Sir John wherever he would formerly have been called Mr. Smith.
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