Sir

This article is about the title. For other uses, see Sir (disambiguation).

Sir is an honorific used as a title (see Knight), or as a courtesy title to address a man without using his given or family name in many English speaking cultures. It is often used in formal correspondence (Dear Sir, Right Reverend Sir).

The term is often reserved for use only towards equals, one of superior rank or status, such as an educator or commanding officer, an elder (especially by a minor), or as a form of address from a merchant to a customer.

Equivalent terms of address are "ma'am" or "madam" in most cases, or in the case of a very young woman, girl, or unmarried woman who prefers to be addressed as such, "miss". The equivalent term for a knighted woman is Dame, or "Lady" for the wife of a knight.

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. The form sir is first documented in English in 1297, as title of honor of a knight or baronet, being a variant of sire, which was already used in English since at least c.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 United Kingdom 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"). The equivalent for a woman is Dame, that is, for one who holds the title in her own right; for such women, the title "Dame" is used as "Sir" for a man, that is, never before the surname on its own. This usage was devised in 1917, derived from the practice, up to the 17th century (and still also in legal proceedings), for the wife of a knight. The wife of a knight or baronet now, however, is styled "Lady [Surname]" (e.g. "Lady McCartney", but never "Lady Linda McCartney," which is reserved for the daughter of a duke, marquess or earl, or now, more recently, for a female member of the Orders of the Garter and the Thistle who possesses no higher title).

In the UK and in certain Commonwealth realms (where the British monarch directly reigns), the following honours permit (in the case of three currently dormant honours, permitted) male subjects of those realms to use the prefix Sir :

Current honours

United Kingdom and Commonwealth

• Baronet (Bt.) (not conferred since 1990)
• Knight of the Order of the Garter (KG)
• Knight of the Order of the Thistle (KT)
• Knight Commander or Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (KCB/GCB)
• Knight Commander or Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG/GCMG)
• Knight Commander or Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO/GCVO)
• Knight Commander or Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (KBE/GBE)
• Knight Bachelor (Kt.)

Antigua and Barbuda

• Knight of the Order of the National Hero (KNH)
• Knight Commander, Knight Grand Cross, or Knight Grand Collar of the Order of the Nation (KCN/KGCN/KGN)

Australia

• Knight of the Order of Australia (AK; for male subjects of Australia only. Not awarded since 1986)

Barbados

• Knight of St. Andrew of the Order of Barbados (KA)

New Zealand

• Knight Companion or Knight Grand Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (KNZM/GNZM)

Dormant honours

Three currently dormant honours - the Order of St. Patrick, the Order of the Star of India and the Order of the Indian Empire - permitted male subjects of the UK and Commonwealth realms to use the prefix Sir.

Kingdom of Ireland

• Knight of the Order of St. Patrick (KP)

Established in 1783 and primarily awarded to men associated with the Kingdom of Ireland. Regular creation of new knights of the order ended in 1921 upon the formation of the Irish Free State. With the death of the last knight in 1974, the Order became dormant.

British Raj

• Knight Commander or Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India (KCSI/GCSI)
• Knight Commander or Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (KCIE/GCIE)

As part of the British Empire's consolidation of their rule in India, the Order of the Star of India was established in 1861 to reward prominent British and Indian civil servants and military officers and prominent Indians associated with the Indian Empire. The Order of the Indian Empire was established in 1878 as a junior-level order to accompany the Order of the Star of India. The last creations of knights of either order were made on 15 August 1947 upon Indian independence. Both orders, and the use of their formal styling, became officially obsolete in India in 1950 upon the country becoming a republic within the Commonwealth, followed by Pakistan in 1956. The Order of the Star of India became dormant in the Commonwealth realms from February 2009, and the Order of the Indian Empire after August 2010, when the last knights of the orders died.

Combinations with other titles and styles

In the case of a military officer who is also a knight, the appropriate form of address puts the professional military rank first, then the correct manner of address for the individual, then his name, e.g.,

• Admiral of the Fleet Sir Bruce Fraser, GCB, KBE (after 1941)^[1]
• Field Marshal Sir Thomas Blamey, GBE, KCB, CMG, DSO, ED (after 1941)^[2]

This is also the case with academic titles such as professor:

• Professor Sir Patrick Bateson, FRS

However, the title 'Doctor' is not used in combination with 'Sir': the knighthood takes precedence, and knighted doctors are addressed as knights, though they may still use any postnominal letters associated with their degrees.

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 similar convention applies to Church of England clergy who receive knighthoods, for example:

• The Reverend Dr John Polkinghorne, KBE, FRS

Clergy in other denominations may use different conventions.

Dual nationals holding a Commonwealth citizenship that recognise the British monarch as head of state are entitled to use the styling. 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.

Especially in North America, the style "Sir" is frequently employed by Knights of the Order of Malta and the Knights of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre (female members of these order are styled as Dame or Lady).

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 and, in some instances, French (Canada). In most languages, no such general address is considered respectful, or the two are combined, as in German Herr followed by the rank.

It is common in British tabloid newspaper slang as a shorthand for 'schoolteacher': Sir's sex shame. Usage of "sir" commonly appears in schools in portions of the Southern United States.

When addressing a male superior (e.g. Officer or Warrant Officer, but not usually a non-commissioned officer, in the military), "sir" is used to replace his specific rank. (Despite its use in many fictional works, this is not a term used for female superiors, who are addressed as " ma'am"). However, recruits of the United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard address both male commissioned and non-commissioned officers as "sir" in basic training, especially drill instructors (USMC) and company commanders (USCG). Enlisted members of the United States Military always address Commissioned Officers as "sir." During training "sir" is implied and will be replaced by the rank and grade of those addressed after initial indoctrination.

Possibly the shortness of the word helps explain^{[original research?]} another idiomatic but non-official practice in American English: emphatically saying Sir both before and after an obedient response to the senior, especially during drill, e.g., "Sir, yes, sir!" This is practiced by the US Coast Guard recruits. In both the United States Army and British Armed Forces, addressing an NCO as "Sir" is incorrect. In the British Army, however, an NCO is referred to as "sir" when he is on parade and warrant officers are addressed as "Sir."

In the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, only commissioned officers are addressed as "sir"; NCOs and constables are addressed by their rank. British police officers of the rank of Inspector or above are addressed as "Sir," the more familiar form of address as "Boss", "Gaffer" or "Guv" (short for "governor") being largely inventions of popular TV and cinema.

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). 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").
• 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.^[3]
• Sir and various Indianized variants such as Sirjee (sir with jee, an Indian honorific) are rather commonly used in Indian English and even vernacular languages. Another Indian extension is using Sir after the name, such as Gandhi Sir.
• U.S. President George W. Bush became notably upset when a reporter called him 'sir', rather than 'Mr President'. President Bush drew gasps at the Vatican by referring to Pope Benedict XVI as 'sir' instead of the expected 'His Holiness'.

Internal links

Salutation (greeting)

References

1. ^ Royal Navy Flag Officers, 1904-1945: Admiral of the Fleet Sir Bruce Fraser, admirals.org.uk
2. ^ Australian Dictionary of Biography: Field Marshal Sir Thomas Albert Blamey, adb.online.anu.edu.au
3. ^ "sire". Dictionary.com. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sire. Retrieved 2 April 2011. 

External Links

• EtymologyOnLine, etymonline.com