A Dictionary of Epithets and Terms of Address
Formerly a well used vocative element, now mainly used in ‘kind sir,’ which often occurs in ‘Thank you, kind sir,’ uttered with mock coyness and humility by a woman to a man.
‘Kind’ usually has its modern meaning of ‘benevolent’ in Shakespeare. Vocatives such as ‘kind’+first name, ‘most kind maid,’ ‘kind master’, ‘kind gentlemen’, ‘kind cousin’, etc., are found throughout the plays. A modern instance of ‘kind sir’ occurs in Georgy Girl, by Margaret Forster; another is in A Travelling Woman, by John Wain.
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