Okay, there's a word that I've been trying to remember and for the life of me I cannot... It's a noun, specifically for addressing someone of rank. It was either a -tory or -ive word. Like "missive" or "statutory" - a word like "sir" would fall under this category. I remember that this word is used in teaching Japanese because of the rank-related ending names. -sama -senpai, etcetera. It's not "salutory" or something like that - I remember that this word specifically means addressing someone of a higher rank...
Now you have me wondering what it was. The only word that comes to mind (inspired by your mention of -sama) is "honorific".
All I can think of is: "The honorable" Other than that, it's all specific: Professor, Senator, Doctor, Madam Secretary, etc. Edit: Also, thinking about the book Oliver Twist, how about "Governor", if you're thinking of an English term?
honorific! That's it! Thanks guys. My memory is weird - I never remember names or labels or anything. I just remember what something means. That works well for science... sometimes... Like the principle of force between two pieces of metal... some unknown cause as of yet. I can't remember the name of the force. It's named after some scientist. Or the psychology effect called Hans-Kruger... or something. Basically, through cognitive dissonance, you believe you're better than you really are. Can't remember the actual name of the disorder. I just remember what it's about.