weledele heer

Dutch

Noun

weledele heer m (plural weledele heren, feminine weledele vrouwe)

1. (archaic, formal) dear Sir; used as a honorific and a salutation at the beginning of a formal letter when addressing a male person who cannot claim a specific administrative, ecclesiastical, academic, or noble title, or whose entitlement to such a title is unknown

   Synonym: geachte heer

   • 1928 May 3, A. Bickes, “Briefwisseling Menno ter Braak - A. Bickes”, in Correspondentie Filmliga‎^[1], Stichting Menno ter Braak, published 2012:

     Weledele Heer,
     Door ons a.s. vertrek naar Indië, zien wij ons, tot onzen grooten spijt, gedwongen, ons lidmaatschap van de Filmliga, voor het volgend seizoen te beëindigen.

     Dear Sir,
     Due to our upcoming departure for the [Dutch East] Indies, we are forced, to our great regret, to end our membership of the Film League for the next season.