Effendi

Effendi, Effendy or Efendi (Turkish: Efendi, Arabic: أفندي Afandī; Persian: آفندی ‎, Urdu: آفندی ‎) is a title of nobility meaning a lord or master.

It is a title of respect or courtesy, equivalent to the English Sir, which was used in Ottoman Empire (Turkey). It follows the personal name, when it is used, and is generally given to members of the learned professions and to government officials who have high ranks, such as bey or pasha. It may also indicate a definite office, as hekim efendi, chief physician to the sultan. The possessive form efendim (my master) is used by servants and in formal discourse.

In the Ottoman era, the most common title affixed to a personal name after that of agha was efendi. Such a title would have indicated an "educated gentleman", hence by implication a graduate of a secular state school (rüşdiye), even though at least some if not most of these efendis had once been religious students, or even religious teachers.

The word itself is a corruption of the Medieval Greek afendis (αφέντης), from ancient Greek authentēs (αὐθέντης), generally "doer, master".