What is the origin and meaning behind the term: “Lord Buddha”?

I often hear the term “Lord Buddha” used by Theravādan Buddhists. However, my understanding has always been that Buddha did not want to be viewed as somehow elevated above men. He is not a god and asked people not to idolize him or even build statues of him. He also said that he was not the only person that people should seek spiritual knowledge from. He described himself as simply another teacher to his followers, one of many.

I looked up the definition of “Lord” and the most commonly used ones do not seem to apply to Buddha. This could easily be a major source of confusion for those lacking knowledge.

I did a little web searching and didn’t come up with an answeer either.

Can someone please help by understand why some refer to Buddha as Lord? Where did this come from? Is is accurate? What does it mean exactly?

I would also like to mention that there are many great Theravādan Buddhists. One of my favorite teachers actually uses this term, so I am not trying to be negative here. Just want to understand.

Thank you and peace.

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