Don, from Latin dominus, is an honorific title in Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian. Although originally a title reserved for royalty, select nobles, and church hierarchs, it is now often used as a mark of esteem for a person of personal, social or official distinction, such as a community leader of long standing, a person of significant wealth, or a noble. Syntactically, it is used in much the same way (although for a broader group of persons) as "Sir" is used in English when speaking of or to a person who has been knighted.