sir
[ sur ]
/ sɜr /
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noun
a respectful or formal term of address used to a man: No, sir.
(initial capital letter) the distinctive title of a knight or baronet: Sir Walter Scott.
(initial capital letter) a title of respect for some notable personage of ancient times: Sir Pandarus of Troy.
a lord or gentleman: noble sirs and ladies.
an ironic or humorous title of respect: sir critic.
Archaic. a title of respect used before a noun to designate profession, rank, etc.:sir priest; sir clerk.
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON PARENTHESES AND BRACKETS APLENTY!
Set some time apart to test your bracket symbol knowledge, and see if you can keep your parentheses, squares, curlies, and angles all straight!
Question 1 of 7
Let’s start with some etymology: What are the origins of the typographical word “bracket”?
First appeared around 1750, and is related to the French word “braguette” for the name of codpiece armor.
First appeared in 1610, based on the French word “baguette” for the long loaf of bread.
First appeared in 1555, and is related to the French word “raquette” for a netted bat.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT Origin of sir
1250–1300; Middle English; unstressed variant of sire
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for sir
British Dictionary definitions for sir (1 of 2)
sir
/ (sɜː) /
noun
a formal or polite term of address for a man
archaic a gentleman of high social status
Word Origin for sir
C13: variant of sire
British Dictionary definitions for sir (2 of 2)
Sir
/ (sɜː) /
noun
a title of honour placed before the name of a knight or baronetSir Walter Raleigh
archaic a title placed before the name of a figure from ancient history
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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