Sir is an honorific used as a title (see Knight) and in several other modern contexts. An honorific is a word or expression that conveys esteem or respect when used in addressing or referring to a person Knight is the English term for a social position originating in the Middle Ages.

It was once used (without the person's name) as a courtesy title among equals, but in common usage it is now usually reserved for one of superior rank or status, such as an educator or commanding officer, or in age (especially by a minor); as a form of address from a merchant to a customer; in formal correspondence (Dear Sir, Right Reverend Sir); or to a stranger (Sir, you've dropped your hat). A courtesy title is a form of address in systems of Nobility used by children former wives and other close relatives of a peer. A command hierarchy is a group of people committed to carrying out orders "from the top" that is of Authority. In Sociology or Anthropology, social status is the honor or prestige attached to one's position in Society (one's Social position) This is a list of educators. See also Education, List of education topics. The commanding officer ( CO) is the officer in command of a Military unit.

The equivalent for a woman when used as a term of address is "madam" or "ma'am". Madam, Madame, ma'am, or Mme is a Title for a Woman. It is derived from the French madame (see different

Origin

Sir derives from the Middle French honorific title sire (messire gave 'mylord'), from the Old French sieur (itself a contraction of Seigneur meaning 'lord'), from the Latin adjective senior (elder), which yielded titles of respect in many European languages. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. In Grammar, an adjective is a word whose main syntactic role is to modify a Noun or Pronoun, giving more information about the Most of the many Languages of Europe belong to the Indo-European Language family. The form sir entered English in 1297, as title of honor of a knight or baronet, being a variant of sire, which was already used in English since c. Knight is the English term for a social position originating in the Middle Ages. A baronet (traditional abbreviation Bart, modern abbreviation Bt) or the rare female equivalent a baronetess (abbreviation Btss) is the holder Sire is a form of address for reigning Kings in the United Kingdom and in Belgium. 1205 as a title placed before a name and denoting knighthood, and to address the (male) Sovereign since c. 1225, with additional general senses of "father, male parent" is from c. 1250 and "important elderly man" from 1362.

Formal styling

In formal protocol Sir is the correct styling for a knight or a baronet (the UK nobiliary rank just below all Peers of the realm), used with (one of) the knight's given name(s) or full name, but not with the surname alone ("Sir James Paul McCartney", "Sir Paul McCartney", or "Sir Paul", but never "Sir McCartney"). A style of office, or honorific, is a term which by Tradition or Law precedes a reference to a person who holds a post or Title, or to the Knight is the English term for a social position originating in the Middle Ages. A baronet (traditional abbreviation Bart, modern abbreviation Bt) or the rare female equivalent a baronetess (abbreviation Btss) is the holder The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Peerage is a system of Titles of Nobility in the United Kingdom, part of the British honours system. A family name or last name is a type of Surname and part of a person's name indicating the family to which the person belongs Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE (born 18 June 1942 is an English rock Singer, Bass guitarist songwriter Composer, Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE (born 18 June 1942 is an English rock Singer, Bass guitarist songwriter Composer, The equivalent for a woman is Dame (for one who holds the title in her own right). Dame is the female equivalent of address to Sir for a British Knighthood. The wife of a knight or baronet is however styled "Lady [Surname]" (e. A Lady is a Woman who is the counterpart of a Lord, as opposed to lady, the counterpart of a Gentleman. g. "Lady McCartney", but never "Lady Heather McCartney", which is reserved for the daughter of a duke, marquess or earl).

With regard to British knighthood, a person who is not a citizen of a Commonwealth realm who receives an honorary knighthood is entitled to use any postnominal letters associated with the knighthood, but not the title "Sir". A Commonwealth realm is any one of 16 sovereign states within the Commonwealth of Nations that each have Elizabeth II as their respective Monarch Dual nationals holding a Commonwealth citizenship that recognise the British monarch as head of state are entitled to use the styling, although common usage varies from country to country: for instance, dual Bahamian-American citizen Sidney Poitier, knighted in 1974, is often styled "Sir Sidney Poitier", particularly in connection with his official ambassadorial duties, although he himself rarely employs the title. Multiple citizenship, or multiple nationality is a status in which a person is concurrently regarded as a Citizen under the laws of more than one state. The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an independent sovereign English -speaking country consisting of two thousand Cays and Sir Sidney Poitier, KBE (ˈpwɑːtie born February 20, 1927) is an Oscar - Golden Globe - BAFTA - and Grammy An ambassador is the highest ranking Diplomat who represents their country

Use in disciplined services

The common use of Sir instead of the rank specific address for a senior officer in a military, police or other hierarchical organisation is rather specific to English. A military is an Organization authorized by its Nation to use force usually including use of Weapons in defending its Country (or by attacking Police are agents or agencies usually of the executive, empowered to enforce the law and to effect public and social order through the legitimatized use of force In most languages, no such general address is considered respectful, or the two are combined, as in German Herr followed by the rank. In French the possessive pronoun mon precedes the rank, not unlike My Lord or Mein Führer. Forms of address used in the United Kingdom are given below Several terms have been abbreviated in the table below

"Sir", on its own, is sometimes used by schoolchildren to address a male teacher. It is common in British tabloid newspaper slang as a shorthand for 'schoolteacher': Sir's sex shame. A tabloid is a Newspaper industry term which refers to a smaller newspaper format per spread to a weekly or semi-weekly alternative newspaper that focuses on local-interest Slang is the use of highly informal Words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's Dialect or Language. Usage of "sir" commonly appears in schools in portions of the Southern United States. The Southern United States &mdashcommonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South &mdashconstitutes a large distinctive

When addressing a (male only, unlike in many fictional works) superior (e. g. Officer or Warrant Officer, but--most of the time--not a non-commissioned officer, in the military), "sir" is used to replace his specific rank. A Warrant Officer ( WO) is a member of a military organization holding one of a specific group of ranks. A non-commissioned officer (sometimes noncommissioned officer) also known as an NCO or Noncom, is an enlisted member of an Armed force However, a United States Marine recruit addresses both commissioned and non-commissioned officers as "sir", especially drill instructors. A drill instructor (or Drill Sergeant) is a Non-commissioned officer in the Armed forces with specific duties that vary by country Enlisted members of the United States Air Force always address superior non-commissioned officers--including Military Training Instructors--as "sir" and, in certain situations, even non-NCOs may be addressed as "sir", most often Senior Airmen (E-4s) serving as training leaders or instructors at technical schools.

Possibly the shortness of the word helps explain another, in a sense compensating, idiomatic but non-official practice in American English: emphatically saying Sir both in front and behind an obedient response in clear voice to the senior, especially during drill, e. g. , "Sir, yes, sir!"

Often, youths playing American Football at the secondary school level and sometimes at the university level address their coaches as "sir. American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive Team sport known for mixing strategy with " "Sir" is typically used when the players address the coach as a team, e. g. , "Yes, sir!"

In both the United States Military and British Armed Forces addressing an NCO as "Sir" is incorrect, and the almost universal response to such an address is "Don't call me sir, I work for a living". The United States Armed Forces are the overall unified military forces of the United States The Armed forces of the United Kingdom, commonly known as the British Armed Forces or Her Majesty's Armed Forces, and sometimes legally the Armed Forces A non-commissioned officer (sometimes noncommissioned officer) also known as an NCO or Noncom, is an enlisted member of an Armed force In the British Army, however, an NCO is referred to as "sir" when an officer is on parade and warrant officers are addressed as "Sir". A Warrant Officer ( WO) is a member of a military organization holding one of a specific group of ranks.

In the Royal Canadian Mounted Police only commissioned officers are addressed as "sir", NCOs and constables are addressed by their rank. An officer is a member of an armed force who holds a position of authority A constable is a person holding a particular office most commonly in law enforcement. British police officers of the rank of Inspector or above are formally addressed as "Sir", but are more commonly addressed as "Boss", "Gaffer" or "Guv" (short for "governor") depending on the force (although more senior officers are invariably addressed as "Sir"). Law enforcement in the United Kingdom is organised separately in Scotland, Northern Ireland, England and Wales (administration of Police matters This is about the police rank/position For the use in graphical user interfaces see Inspector window.

Miscellaneous

• Until the 17th century it was also a title of priests (the related word monsignor, from French monseigneur is still used for Catholic prelates). Monsignor, pl monsignori is the form of address for those members of the Clergy of the Catholic Church holding certain Ecclesiastical In Icelandic, the cognate word séra is used exclusively to address a priest, together with his first name: a priest called Jón Jónsson will be addressed as séra Jón and referred to as presturinn séra Jón Jónsson ("the priest, séra Jón Jónsson"). Icelandic ( is a North Germanic language, the language of Iceland.
• Various persons in authority, e. g. District Judges in the United Kingdom, are also addressed as "sir".
• Sirrah was a 16th century derivative that implied the inferiority of the addressee.
• The informal forms sirree and siree are merely devised for emphasis in speech, mainly after Yes or No.
• Not to be confused with the now exclusively monarchical (i. e. royal) Sire, even though this has the same etymological root. Sire is a form of address for reigning Kings in the United Kingdom and in Belgium.

References

• EtymologyOnLine