seignior
noun
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L327400 on Wikidata ↗Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈseɪnjə/ / /ˈsiːnjɚ/
noun
Etymology: From Middle English senyour, from Old French seignor, seignior, from Latin senior, seniōrem. Doublet of seigneur, senhor, senior, señor, senyor, signore, sir, and sire.
- A feudal lord; a nobleman who held his lands by feudal grant; any lord (holder) of a manor.
“Louis XIV’s minions tried to bend New France’s increasingly aboriginal society to his will. […] In the St. Lawrence Valley almost all arable land not reserved for the Church was divided among well-born gentlemen to enable them to become landed aristocrats, or seigniors.”
- A title of respect, formerly corresponding (especially in France) approximately to Sir.