also: ごぜ · みまえ
presence of a noble; presence of the emperor
Refers to the presence of a high-ranking person, especially the emperor or a nobleman. Often used in historical or formal contexts.
See also: お前
Rudeness in the presence of the emperor is unforgivable.
My Lord; My Lady
Archaic respectful form of address for a noble or high-ranking person. Can be used as a suffix. Compare with おまえ, which shifted to a familiar 'you'.
The vassal appeared before the king.
At the head of the procession, an outrider advanced on horseback.
"My Lord, you are summoned," said the retainer.
She performed a dance in the presence of the noble.
御前 is an archaic, respectful way to address a noble, while お前 (from the same origin) has become a blunt or casual 'you' used toward equals or inferiors.
daughter of a high-ranking person; lord's daughter
person of high rank; nobleman · wife of a nobleman
Canadian dwarf cornel; bunchberry dogwood; crackerberry
contest held before a lord; match in the presence of a daimyo, shogun, or emperor · match attended by the team owner; game with the owner present
ring-entering ceremony before the emperor or crown prince
Standard kanji spelling for the reading ごぜん, used for noble presence and outrider senses.
Rare reading for the address sense; ごぜん is more common.
Rare reading for the presence sense; ごぜん is standard.
From 御 (honorific prefix) + 前 (front, presence). The reading ごぜん is standard; ごぜ and みまえ are rare variants.