| 释义 |
‖ monsieur
(‖ məsjø, məˈsjɜː)
Forms: 6 monsure, -sire, -sieú, 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., Monsr., often occurring in Eng. writings, are not now current in France). See also the plural messieurs.
1512in Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scotl. (1902) IV. 399 Monsure Lamote servitouris, that dansit ane moris to the King. 1523St. Papers Hen. VIII, VI. 194 Monsr. de Rokyndollff off thAllmains. 1533in Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scotl. (1905) VI. 133 Writtingis send furth of Ingland to Monsieur Bewis. 1616Sir C. Mountagu in Buccleuch MSS. (Hist. MSS. Comm.) I. 248 Mouncer Shamburgh when he is in town I hear lies near me. 1643Evelyn Diary 5 Dec., The palace of Mons. de Bassompiere. 1670Cotton Espernon i. i. 3 Monsieur de la Valette was he that would take upon him to execute this design. 1759Goldsm. (title) Memoirs of M. de Voltaire. 1763Ann. 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. 1848J. Kavanagh Madeleine viii. 99 Monsieur Bignon was a hale..little man, on the verge of fifty. 1871E. 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.
1553Respublica i. iv. 395 Sayde not I he sholde be called Mounsier Authoritye? a1553Udall Royster D. iv. viii. (Arb.) 77, I my selfe will mounsire graunde captaine vndertake. 1556J. Heywood Spider & F. lvii. 246 With this mounser graund captayne the great bragger: Was much a mased. 1563Pilkington, etc. Burn. Paules D j b, But that a man may not be wiser than Mounser Pope, I would interprete this greate miracle thus. 1590Shakes. Mids. N. iv. i. 10 Mounsieur Cobweb, good Mounsier get your weapons in your hand. 1678Dryden All for Love Pref., He has..transformed the Hippolytus of Euripides into Monsieur Hippolyte. 1792Wolcot (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.
1859Dickens 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.
1588Shakes. 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. 1713Swift Salamander Wks. 1755 III. ii. 75 We say monsieur to an ape Without offence to human shape. 1768–74Tucker 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’. 1873Howells Chance Acquaint. viii, ‘Monsieur heaps me with benefits;—monsieur’—began the bewildered cooper.
†b. Used for: The French people. Obs.
1673Remarques Humours Town 95 When they are witty, they are alwaies beholding to Monsieur. 1695Roxb. Ball. (1887) VI. 446 Now Monsieur bring out all you can, We'll fight yon ship or man to man. 1701T. 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.
1572Middelmore in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. ii. III. 8 The motion that was made to the Quene your mistris for Monsieur. 1608Middleton Mad World iv. F 3, It was suspected much in Mounsiers dayes. a1635Naunton Fragm. Reg. (Arb.) 36 The same time that Mounsier was here a Suitor to the Queen. 1670Cotton Espernon iii. ix. 445 The King, the Queens, the Monsieur, and Madame, with all the other Princes, and Princesses. 1798R. C. Dallas tr. Cléry's Jrnl. Occur. Louis XVI 159 Monsieur, and the Count d'Artois, were again assembling all the emigrants. 1821Jefferson 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.
1500–20Dunbar Poems lxiii. 42 Monsouris of France, gud clarat-cunnaris. 1613Shakes. Hen. VIII, i. iii. 21 Now I would pray our Monsieurs To thinke an English Courtier may be wise, And neuer see the Louure. 1627Drayton Agincourt 59 A shoolesse Souldier there a man might meete, Leading his Mounsier by the armes fast bound. 1640T. Rawlins Rebell. ii. i. D, And I..onely surviv'd to threat defiance In the Mounsiers teeth, and stand Defendant For my Countries cause. 1644Milton 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. 1659Howell 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. 1698Fryer Acc. E. India & P. 88 The French..whose Factory is better stor'd with Monsieurs than with Cash. 1705Luttrell Brief Rel. (1857) V. 580 At last the monsieurs struck, and are brought into Plymouth. 1756Rhode 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. 1846H. 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.
[1664Evelyn Kal. Hort. Nov. 78 Pears. Messire Jean.] 1731Miller Gard. Dict. s.v. Pyrus, Messire-Jean blanc & gris, i.e. The White and Grey Monsieur John. 1741Compl. Fam.-Piece ii. iii. 400 These Pears. [Oct.] Green Sugar,..Monsieur Jean,..and others. 1860R. Hogg Fruit Manual 200 [Pears] Messire Jean (..Monsieur John).
6. (See quot.) ? Obs.
1760H. 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. 1769Eliz. 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.
1668Dryden 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.
1679G. R. tr. Boaystuau's Theat. World iii. 245 And dressing of themselves *Monsieur-like.
1658Evelyn Fr. Gard. (1675) 114 *Monsieurs Pear.
Ibid. 128 *Monsieurs Plum. 1706London & Wise Retir'd Gard. I. 40 The Monsieur Plum is large, round, and of a Violet Colour. 1731Miller Gard. Dict. s.v. Prunus, Prune de Monsieur, i.e. the Monsieur Plum. |