''Milord'' () is a term for an

Englishman The English people are an ethnic group and nation native to England, who speak the English language, a West Germanic language, and share a common ancestry, history, and culture. The English identity began with the Anglo-Saxons, when they we ...

, especially a

noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Gr ...

, traveling in

Continental Europe Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous mainland of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by som ...

. The term was used in both French and English from the 16th century. It derives ultimately from the English phrase "my

lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power (social and political), power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the Peerage o ...

", which was borrowed into

Middle French Middle French () is a historical division of the French language that covers the period from the mid-14th to the early 17th centuries. It is a period of transition during which: * the French language became clearly distinguished from the other co ...

as ''millourt'' or ''milor'', meaning a noble or rich man.

History

The

term ''millourt'', meaning a nobleman or a rich man, was in use by around 1430. It appears to be a borrowing of the English phrase "my lord", a term of address for a

or other noble. Later French variants include ''milourt'' and ''milor''; the form ''milord'' was in use by at least 1610. It was reborrowed into English by 1598, in the sense of an English noble generally, or one travelling in

more specifically. Today, the term is rarely used except humorously. "Milord" has also been used for an automotive bodystyle also known as a three-position convertible or Victoria Cabriolet. The equivalent in

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

is ''milordo''. In

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

, the equivalent was "O Lordos".

Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824) was an English poet. He is one of the major figures of the Romantic movement, and is regarded as being among the greatest poets of the United Kingdom. Among his best-kno ...

, who was involved in the

Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. In 1826, the Greeks were assisted ...

, was known as "O Lordos" (The Lord), or "Lordos Veeron" (as the Greeks pronounced it), causing things as varied as hotels, ships, cricket teams, roads and even suburbs to be called "Lord Byron" today. The term provided the title for the 1959 French "

Milord ''Milord'' () is a term for an Englishman, especially a Nobles, noble, traveling in Continental Europe. The term was used in both French and English from the 16th century. It derives ultimately from the English phrase "my lord", which was lingui ...

" sung by

Edith Piaf Edith is a feminine given name derived from the Old English word , meaning ''wealth'' or ''prosperity'', in combination with the Old English , meaning '' strife'', and is in common usage in this form in English, German, many Scandinavian lang ...

Alternative legal use

"Milord" (in this use generally pronounced as, and sometimes written as, "M'lud": ) is not used in legal settings in the United Kingdom anymore, instead the form of address for several types of judges is just "My Lord". Some courts in Canada and in India also use the phrase. It is common to see (in television or film portrayals of British courtrooms) barristers addressing the judge as "M'lud". This was the usual pronunciation until about the middle of the twentieth century in courts in which the judge was entitled to be addressed as "My Lord".Oxford English Dictionary s.v. "m'lud" (noun), which includes examples from 1853 (Dickens ''Bleak House'' i. 4 ''"‘Mr. Tangle,’ says the Lord High Chancellor... ‘Mlud,’ says Mr. Tangle."'') and 1979 (Jo Grimond ''Memoirs'' iv. 67 ''"We coached him in all the palaver of the court,..the ‘Yes m'lud’ and ‘No m'lud’."'') However, it is a pronunciation which is now obsolete and no longer heard in court.

References

External links

* {{Imperial, royal, and noble styles Archaic English words and phrases Noble titles English words