Sidi

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Sidi (from high Arabic سَيِّدي, DMG Sayyidī  'my Lord', pronounced: Sīdī ) is a male form of address common in the Arabic dialects Maghrebinic and Egyptian ; the equivalent in other Arabic dialects isسَيِّد / Sayyid , "Lord" (as a salutation).

In the Kingdom of Morocco , the title Sidi is used instead of Mulay for those male members of the ruling Alavid dynasty who have the first name Muhammad. Smiyet Sidi is the salutation of the Moroccan heir to the throne. The corresponding respectful feminine form of address, especially used for saints, is Lalla .

In the Tunisian dialect of Arabic, the forms Sidi and Si have developed, where Si stands for the normal form of address, while Sidi , depending on the context, is used to address a superior or a saint. For example, some older conservative Tunisians use the form of address Sidi instead of their first name when addressing their husbands. Some conservative Tunisians (of both sexes) also refer to their older brother as Sidi , especially if there is a greater age difference. There are also corresponding female forms: Lella is used in the social context in Egyptian Arabic, Sayyida when it comes to female saints.

The name El Cid for the Spanish national hero from the 11th century is a derivation from Sidi .

In Eastern Arabic, especially in the Syrian-Palestinian region, Sidi means “my grandfather” and is the common form of address used by grandchildren for their grandpa. In addition, the salutation can also be used in general for a person who is significantly older than the person being addressed, and then serves to express respect and trust. According to the principle of reverse address in Eastern Arabic (an older person uses the form of address for a younger person with which he is addressed in reverse by the younger one), a grandfather can also address his grandchildren or a significantly younger person with Sidi . In particular, this means that an old man addresses his granddaughter as Sidi "my grandfather", which is quite confusing to European ears.