messieurs or messeurs

Question

Hi, would somebody please clarify the following for me:

1) what is the difference between messieurs and messeurs?

2) why is a company sometimes addressed as messeurs or messieurs?

3) what is the abbreviation of messieurs or messeurs, is it M/s?

Thanks in advance for answering the above.

Nona the brit · Accepted Answer

1) Messieurs is correct and messeurs is a mis-spelling. Messieurs is French.

2/3) In English we do not use messieurs. We only use the abbreviation - Messrs (pronounced messers). Messrs is just the plural for Mr. It occassionally gets used in company names and so on, or if you are referring to several men by name in a formal way. So, instead of saying Mr. Smith, Mr. Jones and Mr. Bloggs attended the training, you could say 'Messrs Smith, Jones and Bloggs attended the training.

Philip · Answer

Nona The Brit1) Messieurs is correct and messeurs is a mis-spelling. Messieurs is French.

What a difference a letter makes. Change the e to a , and we have masseur (still men, of course). So, at the spa, one would have the choice from masseurs Brock, Favio or Bruno. (Forgive my playful attitude.)

Anonymous · Answer

Many thanks for your reply Nona.

I would like to clarify the use of messieurs furthermore:

1) I see a lot of time in contract agreement that the abbreviation of messieurs is M/s, why is that?

2) when you address a company as messieurs, does that mean that you are addressing to the important people of a companay e.g. President and VP

Philip · Answer

AnonymousMany thanks for your reply Nona.

I would like to clarify the use of messieurs furthermore:

1) I see a lot of time in contract agreement that the abbreviation of messieurs is M/s, why is that?

2) when you address a company as messieurs, does that mean that you are addressing to the important people of a companay e.g. President and VPOne would assume so.

I'm not sure what the politically correct thing to do is these days, vis-à-vis the increasing number of women in executive positions.

Clive · Answer

Hi,

I believe the female equivalent of messieurs is mesdames.

However, I'd like to point out that the term messieurs is not used a lot these days. It seems a bit old-fashioned and quaint. In N. American business, a gdegree of informality is the norm. We'd typically just write that 'The meeting was attended by Tom Smith, Mary Jones and Bill Clark'. There's really no need to start worrying about whether to say messieurs, or about who is a man and who is a woman. Just use their names.

Best wishes, Clive

Nona the brit · Answer

True. I've only seen it used very rarely.

Anonymous · Answer

0Would anyone know hat the abbreviation of mesdames is?0-

Feebs11 · Answer

0 Mmes. 0-

Anonymous · Answer

0 01blockquote

01cite10Nona The Brit12cite10True. I've only seen it used very rarely.12blockquote

10"Mesdames, Mesdemoiselles, Messieurs" is often used when addressing to a large number of people in a formal occasion ( speeches by politicians...) or when someone doesn't know the members of the audience personally ( for example, at a wedding, you'd rarely hear it used, even if there's a large crowd.)0-

Nona the brit · Answer

0 Not in the UK it isn't, even at formal occassions, nor in other English-speaking countries...certainly not often. someone might use it if they want to make a sort of joke. 'Ladies and Gentlemen' is the phrase that is used. 0-

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