plural of sir; respectful forms of address for men
from sir, from Old French sire meaning lord
Sirs is the polite way to address gentlemen - it's like saying 'lords' in everyday language!
Sir is masculine honorific with no universally accepted female parallel until 'Madam' (distinct semantic space) or modern 'Mx.' conventions. Historical power structures embedded deference language in masculine forms.
Use person's name, 'you', or ask preferred form of address. In formal contexts seeking gender-neutral respect: 'everyone', 'colleagues', or 'team'.
["everyone","colleagues","team","folks","friends"]
Women were historically excluded from titles of formal address signifying authority and rank parity with 'sir'.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.