‖ monsieur
(‖ məsj{obar}, məˈsjɜː)
Forms: 6 monsure, -sire, -sie{uacu}, mounsire, -syre, Sc. monsour, 6–7 mouns(i)er, -sieur, 7 mouncer, -seur, monser, monnsieur, meunsier, 6– monsieur. Also jocularly 8–9 mounseer, 9 mossoo.
[F.; originally two words, mon my, sieur lord. Cf. messire and monseigneur.
Cf. Sp. monsiur, It. monsù, used in speaking to or of a Frenchman.]
1. The title of courtesy prefixed to the name, surname, or nobiliary title of a Frenchman; originally restricted to men of high station, but now equivalent to the Eng. ‘Mr.’, exc. that it is applied to the bearer of any title of rank as well as to others. In English often used in speaking of (European) foreigners of other than Fr. nationality, instead of the equivalent prefix (as Herr, Signor, Señor) used by the particular nation. Abbreviated M. (the forms Mons., Mons{supr}., often occurring in Eng. writings, are not now current in France). See also the plural messieurs.
| 1512 in Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scotl. (1902) IV. 399 Monsure Lamote servitouris, that dansit ane moris to the King. 1523 St. Papers Hen. VIII, VI. 194 Mons{supr}. de Rokyndollff off thAllmains. 1533 in Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scotl. (1905) VI. 133 Writtingis send furth of Ingland to Monsieur Bewis. 1616 Sir C. Mountagu in Buccleuch MSS. (Hist. MSS. Comm.) I. 248 Mouncer Shamburgh when he is in town I hear lies near me. 1643 Evelyn Diary 5 Dec., The palace of Mons. de Bassompiere. 1670 Cotton Espernon i. i. 3 Monsieur de la Valette was he that would take upon him to execute this design. 1759 Goldsm. (title) Memoirs of M. de Voltaire. 1763 Ann. Reg. 86 When M. Rousseau published his Emilius... The following letter from mons. Rousseau... To accept of Mons. Rousseau's resignation. 1798 (title) Stella. Translated from the German of M. Goethe. 1848 J. Kavanagh Madeleine viii. 99 Monsieur Bignon was a hale..little man, on the verge of fifty. 1871 E. C. G. Murray Member for Paris III. 332 M. le Duc de Hautbourg. |
† b. transf. and
jocular. Often with reference to the French custom of prefixing the title to designations of office.
Obs.| 1553 Respublica i. iv. 395 Sayde not I he sholde be called Mounsier Authoritye? a 1553 Udall Royster D. iv. viii. (Arb.) 77, I my selfe will mounsire graunde captaine vndertake. 1556 J. Heywood Spider & F. lvii. 246 With this mounser graund captayne the great bragger: Was much a mased. 1563 Pilkington, etc. Burn. Paules D j b, But that a man may not be wiser than Mounser Pope, I would interprete this greate miracle thus. 1590 Shakes. Mids. N. iv. i. 10 Mounsieur Cobweb, good Mounsier get your weapons in your hand. 1678 Dryden All for Love Pref., He has..transformed the Hippolytus of Euripides into Monsieur Hippolyte. 1792 Wolcot (P. Pindar) Solomon & Mousetrap ii, To catch that vile free-booter, Monsieur Mouse. |
c. Monsieur (de) Paris, a euphemistic title conferred in France upon the public executioner.
| 1859 Dickens T. Two Cities ii. vii, At the gallows and the wheel..Monsieur Paris..presided. |
2. Used (vocatively or otherwise) as a title of courtesy substituted for the name of the person addressed or referred to: (
a) in speaking to or of a Frenchman; (
b) in literal renderings of the mode of speech of Frenchmen.
| 1588 Shakes. L.L.L. v. i. 47 Mounsier, are you not lettred? 1601 ― All's Well ii. v. 94 Where are my other men? Monsieur, farwell. 1713 Swift Salamander Wks. 1755 III. ii. 75 We say monsieur to an ape Without offence to human shape. 1768–74 Tucker Lt. Nat. (1834) II. 595 The French carpenter cannot saw his boards without..calling to his fellow, ‘Monsieur, have the goodness to reach me that file’. 1873 Howells Chance Acquaint. viii, ‘Monsieur heaps me with benefits;—monsieur’—began the bewildered cooper. |
† b. Used for: The French people.
Obs.| 1673 Remarques Humours Town 95 When they are witty, they are alwaies beholding to Monsieur. 1695 Roxb. Ball. (1887) VI. 446 Now Monsieur bring out all you can, We'll fight yon ship or man to man. 1701 T. Brown Advice in Collect. Poems 106 That, that's the sure way to Mortifie France: For Monsieur our Nation will always be Gulling. [1755: see mounseer.] |
3. Hist. A title given to the second son or to the next younger brother of the King of France.
| 1572 Middelmore in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. ii. III. 8 The motion that was made to the Quene your mistris for Monsieur. 1608 Middleton Mad World iv. F 3, It was suspected much in Mounsiers dayes. a 1635 Naunton Fragm. Reg. (Arb.) 36 The same time that Mounsier was here a Suitor to the Queen. 1670 Cotton Espernon iii. ix. 445 The King, the Queens, the Monsieur, and Madame, with all the other Princes, and Princesses. 1798 R. C. Dallas tr. Cléry's Jrnl. Occur. Louis XVI 159 Monsieur, and the Count d'Artois, were again assembling all the emigrants. 1821 Jefferson Autobiog. & Writ. (1892) I. 128 They procured a committee to be held..to which Monsieur and the Count d'Artois should be admitted. |
4. A person who is addressed as ‘Monsieur’; in early use, a Frenchman of rank; in later use, a Frenchman generally. Now
rare or
Obs.: see
mossoo,
mounseer.
| 1500–20 Dunbar Poems lxiii. 42 Monsouris of France, gud clarat-cunnaris. 1613 Shakes. Hen. VIII, i. iii. 21 Now I would pray our Monsieurs To thinke an English Courtier may be wise, And neuer see the Louure. 1627 Drayton Agincourt 59 A shoolesse Souldier there a man might meete, Leading his Mounsier by the armes fast bound. 1640 T. Rawlins Rebell. ii. i. D, And I..onely surviv'd to threat defiance In the Mounsiers teeth, and stand Defendant For my Countries cause. 1644 Milton Educ. 8 Nor shall we then need the Mounsieurs of Paris to take our hopefull youth into thir..custodies, and send them over back again transform'd into mimics. 1659 Howell Lexicon, Ital. Prov., The Counts of Germany, the Dons of Spain, the Monnsieurs of France, the Cadets of England, the Nobles of Scotland,..make a poor company. 1698 Fryer Acc. E. India & P. 88 The French..whose Factory is better stor'd with Monsieurs than with Cash. 1705 Luttrell Brief Rel. (1857) V. 580 At last the monsieurs struck, and are brought into Plymouth. 1756 Rhode Island Col. Rec. (1860) V. 472, I do not doubt if the monsieurs should think proper to attack us, we should be able to give them a good flogging. 1846 H. Melville Typee (rev. ed.) Sequel 304 Jimmy..had a talk about the ‘Wee-Wees’, as the people of Nukukeva call the Monsieurs. |
5. Monsieur John,
Jean, a kind of pear.
| [1664 Evelyn Kal. Hort. Nov. 78 Pears. Messire Jean.] 1731 Miller Gard. Dict. s.v. Pyrus, Messire-Jean blanc & gris, i.e. The White and Grey Monsieur John. 1741 Compl. Fam.-Piece ii. iii. 400 These Pears. [Oct.] Green Sugar,..Monsieur Jean,..and others. 1860 R. Hogg Fruit Manual 200 [Pears] Messire Jean (..Monsieur John). |
6. (See
quot.) ?
Obs.| 1760 H. Glasse Cookery (1767) 331 To dress a turtle the West Indian way... Then take from the back-shell all the meat and entrails, except the monsieur, which is the fat, and looks green. 1769 Eliz. Raffald Eng. Housekpr. (1805) 15. 1785 Farley Lond. Art Cookery (1789) 30. |
† 7. attrib. and
Comb., as
Monsieur-land, France;
Monsieur-like adv., after the manner of a Frenchman;
Monsieur's pear, ?
= 5;
Monsieur('s) plum, a large yellow plum.
Obs.| 1668 Dryden Evening's Love i. ii, They were of your wild English.., a kind of Northern Beast, that is taught its feats of activity in *Monsieur-land. |
| 1679 G. R. tr. Boaystuau's Theat. World iii. 245 And dressing of themselves *Monsieur-like. |
| 1658 Evelyn Fr. Gard. (1675) 114 *Monsieurs Pear. |
| Ibid. 128 *Monsieurs Plum. 1706 London & Wise Retir'd Gard. I. 40 The Monsieur Plum is large, round, and of a Violet Colour. 1731 Miller Gard. Dict. s.v. Prunus, Prune de Monsieur, i.e. the Monsieur Plum. |