Meanings
plural seigniors · alternative seigneur · alternative sieur · alternative obsolete seigniour
- historicalA 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.
2011, Colin Woodard, chapter 2, in American nations, New York: Penguin, →ISBN - A title of respect, formerly corresponding (especially in France) approximately to Sir.
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinsenior, seniōrem
- Old Frenchseignor
- Middle Englishsenyour
- Englishseignior
From Middle English senyour, from Old French seignor, seignior, from Latin senior, seniōrem. Doublet of seigneur, senhor, senior, señor, senyor, signore, sir, and sire.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
seignior. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/seignior
“seignior.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/seignior. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “seignior,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/seignior.
Source: seignior on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.