Monsignor

or mon·si·gnor

[ mon-see-nyer; Italian mawn-see-nyawr ]

/ mɒnˈsi nyər; Italian ˌmɔn siˈnyɔr /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR Monsignor ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural Mon·si·gnors, Italian Mon·si·gno·ri [mawn-see-nyaw-ree] /ˌmɔn siˈnyɔ ri/. Roman Catholic Church.

a title conferred upon certain prelates.

a person bearing this title.

Origin of Monsignor

1635–45; < Italian < French Monseigneur monseigneur; see signor

Related formsmon·si·gno·ri·al

[mon-seen-yawr-ee-uh l, -yohr-] /ˌmɒn sinˈyɔr i əl, -ˈyoʊr-/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for monsignor

The monsignor title has been around for centuries, for even longer than Goldman Sachs has existed.
How Pope Francis’s Management Strategies Could Fix Wall Street|Chris Lowney|January 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
An opening letter by Monsignor Robert Weiss, a pastor at Saint Rose of Lima Parish, in Newtown, CT, sets the tone.
This Week’s Hot Reads: Dec. 9, 2013|Damaris Colhoun|December 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The monsignor there agreed to offer a blessing when Capone was buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery.
Never Mind El Chapo: Chicago’s Real Public Enemy No. 1 Is the Shorties|Michael Daly|February 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
A “figure” apparently meaning the quantity of meth the monsignor should bring.
Monsignor Meth Kevin Wallin: The Kinky Priest Who Sold Meth|Michael Daly|January 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST

The story of Monsignor Kevin Wallins seems like a script pulled out of the Showtime offices.
Meth in a "Female" Priest's Rectory?|Ilana Glazer|January 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Monsignor held up his hand with two fingers stretched out beyond the others, and gave a gentle war-whoop.
The Art of Disappearing|John Talbot Smith
The pope himself addresses them under that title; his physician is monsignor, and no one objects.
A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 3 (of 10)|Franois-Marie Arouet (AKA Voltaire)
"Help me, Monsignor," he said faintly, and the prelate raised him to his feet.
The Eternal City|Hall Caine
Monsignor studied her for a moment, and then broke into a genial laugh.
Carmen Ariza|Charles Francis Stocking
The other day I repeated that just to Monsignor, and he laughed at it; he condescended to laugh at it.
Madame Bovary|Gustave Flaubert

British Dictionary definitions for monsignor

Monsignor

/ (mɒnˈsiːnjə, Italian monsiɲˈɲor) /

noun plural Monsignors or Monsignori (Italian monsiɲˈɲoːri)

RC Church an ecclesiastical title attached to certain offices or distinctions usually bestowed by the PopeAbbreviation: Mgr, Msgr

Word Origin for Monsignor

C17: from Italian, from French Monseigneur

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for monsignor

monsignor

title conferred on some prelates, 1640s, from Italian monsignore "my lord," formed on model of French monseigneur (see monseigneur) from equivalent elements in Italian.

Monsignor

or mon·si·gnor

noun, plural Mon·si·gnors, Italian Mon·si·gno·ri [mawn-see-nyaw-ree] /ˌmɔn siˈnyɔ ri/. Roman Catholic Church.

RELATED WORDS

Origin of Monsignor

Examples from the Web for monsignor

Monsignor

noun plural Monsignors or Monsignori (Italian monsiɲˈɲoːri)

Word Origin for Monsignor

monsignor