A Turkish or Ottoman title of respect for a man of authority or education, similar to 'sir' or 'mister'; also used in other Middle Eastern cultures.
From Turkish 'efendi,' likely from Greek 'authentis' (authentic/master). It became common in English through Ottoman and colonial encounters.
Effendi shows how empires borrow titles—British colonizers in Egypt and Turkey picked up the word to use when addressing local officials, but it also reveals how power struggles changed the word's meaning over time.
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