Senhor

Senhor

Senhor (abbreviation: "Sr."; plural: "Senhores", abbreviation: "Srs."), from the Latin "Senior" (comparative of "Senex", "old man"), is the Portuguese word for Lord, Sir or Mister. Its feminine form is "Senhora" (plural "Senhoras", abbreviation: "Sras."). Its Spanish equivalent is "Señor".

Originally it was only used to designate a feudal Lord or Sire, as well as being one of the names of God.

With time its usage spread and, as means of differentiation, noble people began to use "Senhor Dom" (as when referring to the kings or members of the high nobility), which translates literally in English as "Lord Lord".

Presently it is used in the same context as Mister ("Senhor Silva" meaning Mr. Silva), or as a way of saying a formal "You" ("O senhor tem uma casa" meaning "You (male) have a house"). In formal contexts o senhor, a senhora, os senhores and as senhoras (masculine singular, feminine singular, masculine plural, and feminine plural "you", respectively) are preferred. However, there is considerable regional variation in the use of these terms, and more specific forms of address are sometimes employed. O senhor / a senhora are the most ceremonious forms of address. English speakers may find the latter construction akin to the parliamentary convention of referring to fellow legislators in the third person (as "my colleague", "the gentleman", "the member", etc.), although the level of formality conveyed by o senhor is not as great. In fact, variants of o senhor and a senhora with more nuanced meanings such as o professor ("professor"), o colega ("colleague") and o pai ("father") are also employed as personal pronouns. Often Senhor is followed by another title or job description, such as Doctor ("Senhor Doutor"), Engineer ("Senhor Engenheiro"), Teacher or Professor ("Senhor Professor"), or Police officer ("Senhor Polícia"), thus conveying a high level of formality.

Tradicionally, but not presently, the feminine form "Senhora" was only used for a married woman (a single woman was addressed formally as "Menina", "young girl", or by the diminutive "Senhorita", "little lady").

ee also

*Portuguese name
*Portuguese personal pronouns
*T-V distinction
*Style (manner of address)
*Dom (title)
*Don (honorific)
*Gentleman
*Herr
*Lord
*Monsieur
*Mr.
*Seigneur
*Sir


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • senhor — |ô| s. m. 1. O que possuía honras ou coutos; fidalgo; o que possuía vassalos; o que tinha autoridade feudal. 2. O dono da casa em relação aos criados. 3. Indivíduo distinto. 4. Título nobiliárquico. 5. Tratamento de cerimônia. 6. Título dado aos… …   Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa

  • Senhor — Se*nhor , n. [Pg. Cf. {Se[ n]or}, {Senior}.] A Portuguese title of courtesy corresponding to the Spanish se[ n]or or the English Mr. or sir; also, a gentleman. [Webster 1913 Suppl.] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Senhor — (portug.), Señor (span., spr. Senjohr), Herr, Gebieter; Senhora u. Señora, Frau, Gebieterin …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Senhor — (portug., span. Señor, beides spr. ßenjōr), Herr, Gebieter; Senhora (Señora), Herrin, Gebieterin …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Senhor — (portug., spr. ßenjohr; span. Señor), Herr, Gebieter; Senhora und Señora, Frau, Herrin …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Senhor — Senhor, portug., sennor, span., davon senhora, sennora, Herr, Herrin …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • senhor — [si nyō̂r′] n. pl. senhores [sinyō̂r′əsh, si nyō̂r′əs] or Senhores [Port < L senior: see SENIOR] 1. [S ] Mr.; Sir: Portuguese or Brazilian title of respect: abbrev. Sr 2. a man; gentleman …   English World dictionary

  • Senhor — Se|nhor auch: Sen|hor 〈[sɛnjɔ:r] m.; s, es〉 Herr (portugiesische Anrede) [port. <lat. senior „der ältere“] * * * Se|n|hor [sɛn jo:ɐ̯ ], der; s, es [port. senhor < lat. senior, ↑ Senior]: 1. (in Portugal) Bezeichnung u. Anrede eines Herrn …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Senhor — Sen|hor* [sɛn jo:ɐ̯] der; s, es <aus port. senhor, dies zu lat. senior, vgl. ↑senior> port. Bez. für Herr; Gebieter, Besitzer …   Das große Fremdwörterbuch

  • Senhor Roubado (Metro de Lisboa) — Senhor Roubado Ubicación Coordenadas 38°47′8″N …   Wikipedia Español

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