Milord (French:[milɔʁ]) is a term for anEnglishman, especially anoble, traveling inContinental Europe. The term was used in both French and English from the 16th century. It derives ultimately from the English phrase "mylord", which wasborrowed intoMiddle French asmillourt ormilor, meaning a noble or rich man.[1]
TheMiddle French termmillourt, meaning a nobleman or a rich man, was in use by around 1430. It appears to be aborrowing of the English phrase "my lord", a term of address for alord or other noble. Later French variants includemilourt andmilor; the formmilord was in use by at least 1610. It wasreborrowed into English by 1598, in the sense of an English noble generally, or one travelling inContinental Europe more specifically.[1] Today, the term is rarely used except humorously.[1] "Milord" has also been used for anautomotive bodystyle also known as a three-position convertible orVictoria Cabriolet.[2]
The equivalent inItalian ismilordo.[3] InGreece, the equivalent was "O Lordos".Lord Byron, who was involved in theGreek War of Independence, 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.[4][5]
The term provided the title for the 1959 French "Milord" sung byEdith Piaf.[6]
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"Milord" (in this use generally pronounced as, and sometimes written as, "M'lud":/məˈlʌd/) 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".[7][8] Some courts in Canada and in India also use the phrase.[citation needed]
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".[9] However, it is a pronunciation which is now obsolete and no longer heard in court.
The dictionary definition ofmilord at Wiktionary