mamsir

English

Etymology

ma'am +‎ sir

Noun

mamsir (plural mamsirs)

1. (Philippines) A respectful term of address to an adult, especially if their name is unknown.

Usage notes

• In Philippine English, often used instead of ma'am or sir, even when the person's gender is unambiguous. Commonly used in the service industry when addressing customers or clients.

References

• Benitez, Nuria Inez (May 2022) Does ‘x’ Mark The Spot?: Negotiating Filipino/a/x Identities Online in the Philippines and the Diaspora (Thesis), Haverford College, page 31: “An example of this is mamsir/mamser, a portmanteau of “ma’am” and “sir”, said as a single word to address individuals, usually strangers, in the Philippines. Mamsir is used very commonly, even in situations where a person’s gender may be unambiguous, often used instead of “ma’am” or “sir”.”
• McCusker, Carolyn, Cohen, Rhaina (2021 April 25) “Tower Of Babble: Nonnative Speakers Navigate The World Of 'Good' And 'Bad' English”, in NPR.org‎^[1], retrieved 21 September 2022

Tagalog

Alternative forms

• mamser

Etymology

From English ma'am +‎ English sir.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmamseɾ/, [ˈmam.sɛɾ]
• Hyphenation: mam‧sir

Noun

mamsir (Baybayin spelling ᜋᜋ᜔ᜐᜒᜇ᜔)

1. (informal) mamsir

   Bili na po kayo ng ispageti namin, mga mamsir!

   Please go buy our spaghetti, mamsirs!

Related terms

• ser