Etymograph

English

signora

Signora comes from Italian signora ‘female equivalent of signore’, and goes back to Medieval Latin senior ‘lord’.

  1. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500senior1‘lord’
  2. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500seniōra1feminine form of senior
  3. Italianc. 1300–presentsignora2‘female equivalent of signore’
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1896signora2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Italian signora
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English signora
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1896, Louise Chandler Moulton: “I waited, half thinking that they would walk toward…”.

Lineage

  1. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500seniorWiktionary, Italian signora‘lord’
  2. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500seniōraWiktionary, Italian signorafeminine form of senior
  3. Italianc. 1300–presentsignoraWiktionary, English signora‘female equivalent of signore’
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1896signoraWiktionary, English signora. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1896, Louise Chandler Moulton: “I waited, half thinking that they would walk toward…”

Linked words

through Medieval Latin senior ‘lord’

sir, senior, sire, seigneur, 7 more

Today it means

noun Mrs; madam; title of address or respect for women in Italy.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “signora”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Italian signora. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Medieval Latin senior / signora

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