Food & drinkMyths & disputes

sirloin

French surlonge is simply 'over the loin', the upper cut of beef. English spelled it surloine; the sir- spelling arrived in the 1620s, probably helped along by the word sir, and the English name went on to Japanese and Korean steakhouses and Mexican butchers.

Weakest linkCertain

The story you may have heard

A king (Henry VIII, James I or Charles II, depending on the teller) liked the joint so much he knighted it 'Sir Loin'. The word was in use before any of them was born; the tale first appears in 1655.

The road to English

From Middle French to French

From English to Japanese

From English to Korean

From English to Mexican Spanish

1400Middle French

Hops are evenly spaced; labels show the year each form is first attested.

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