different between lady vs madame

English

Etymology

From Middle English lady, laddy, lafdi, lavedi, from Old English hl?fd??e (“mistress of a household, wife of a lord, lady”, literally “bread-kneader”), from hl?f (“bread, loaf”) + d??e (“kneader”), related to Old English d??e (“maker of dough”). Compare also lord. More at loaf, dairy, dough. Unrelated to lad.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?le?di/
• Rhymes: -e?di
• Hyphenation: la?dy

Noun

lady (plural ladies)

1. (historical) The mistress of a household.
2. A woman of breeding or higher class, a woman of authority.
3. The feminine of lord.
4. A title for someone married to a lord or gentleman.
5. A title that can be used instead of the formal terms of marchioness, countess, viscountess, or baroness.
6. (polite or used by children) A woman: an adult female human.

7. (in the plural) A polite reference or form of address to women.
8. (slang) Used to address a female.

9. (ladies' or ladies) Toilets intended for use by women.
10. (familiar) A wife or girlfriend; a sweetheart.
11. A woman to whom the particular homage of a knight was paid; a woman to whom one is devoted or bound.
12. (slang) A queen (the playing card).
13. (attributive, with a professional title) Who is a woman.

14. (Wicca) Alternative form of Lady.
15. The triturating apparatus in the stomach of a lobster, consisting of calcareous plates; so called from a fancied resemblance to a seated female figure.
16. (Britain, slang) A five-pound note. (Rhyming slang, Lady Godiva for fiver.)
17. (slang) A woman’s breast.

Derived terms

• Pages starting with “lady”.

Related terms

• fakaleit?
• Lady

Descendants

Translations

References

• Weisenberg, Michael (2000) The Official Dictionary of Poker. MGI/Mike Caro University. ?ISBN

See also

• lord
• gentleman
• ladies' room
• broad

Anagrams

• DALY, Daly, Dyal, Lyda, layd, yald

French

Etymology

From English lady.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /l?.di/, /le.di/

Noun

lady f (plural ladys)

1. lady (wife of a lord; important woman)

Synonyms

• dame, madame

Further reading

• “lady” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from English lady.

Noun

lady f (invariable)

1. lady (wife of a lord; important woman)

Synonyms

• dama, donna (archaic), signora

Middle English

Alternative forms

• ladi, laddy, lafdi, lavedi

Etymology

From Old English hl?fd??e, in turn from hl?f (“bread, loaf”) + d??e (“maid”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?la?di?(?)/
• (Early ME) IPA^(key): /?lavdi?(?)/

Noun

lady (plural ladys)

1. lady (important woman)

Descendants

• English: lady (see there for further descendants)
• Yola: laady

References

• “l?d?(e, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?la.d?/

Noun

lady f

1. inflection of lada:
   1. genitive singular
   2. nominative/accusative/vocative plural

Spanish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English lady.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?leidi/, [?lei?.ð?i]

Noun

lady f (plural ladies)

1. lady (wife of a lord; important woman)

Further reading

• “lady” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.

English

Alternative forms

• Madame

Etymology

Borrowed from French madame, from Old French ma dame (“my lady”). Doublet of madam and Madonna.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /m??d??m/, /?mæ.d?m/
• (US) IPA^(key): /m??dæm/, /m??d?m/, /mæ?dæm/, /mæ?d?m/, /?mæ.d?m/
• Rhymes: -æm

Noun

madame (plural madames or mesdames)

1. Alternative form of madam

Derived terms

• Madame Bishop

Related terms

• croque-madame
• grande madame
• Madame Berthe's mouse lemur
• Madame Tussaud's

Anagrams

• ma'amed

Finnish

Noun

madame

1. madam

Declension

French

Etymology

ma +? dame From Old French ma dame (my lady).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ma.dam/

Noun

madame f (plural mesdames)

1. a title or form of address for a woman, formerly for a married woman and now commonly for any adult woman regardless of marital status, used both in direct and third-person address.

   Si vous êtes libre, pourriez-vous aider madame, s'il vous plaît?

   If you're free, could you help this lady, please?

2. madam, Mrs. or Ms.
3. (in children's language, childish) Lady, woman.

   Dis merci à la madame.

   Say thank you to the lady.

4. the female employer of a domestic servant
   • 2020, Laure Stéphan, « Ma Madame m’a dit qu’ils ne pouvaient plus me payer » : au Liban, le calvaire des domestiques éthiopiennes, Le Monde:

     Mazaa, 23 ans, ancienne nourrice et femme de ménage, croix autour du cou, cache son visage. « Ma Madame (employeuse) m’a dit qu’ils ne pouvaient plus me payer. [...] »

     Mazaa, 23 years old, former nanny and housekeeper, a cross around her neck, hides her face. "My madame (employer) told me they couldn't pay me anymore. [...]"

Synonyms

• dame, lady
• (title, form of address): (abbreviations) M^me, Mme.

Derived terms

Coordinate terms

• mademoiselle
• monsieur

Descendants

• ? Russian: ?????? (madám)

Further reading

• “madame” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Italian

Noun

madame f

1. plural of madama

Middle English

Alternative forms

• ma dame, madam, madaum, maydame, madde dame

Etymology

From Old French madame; compare dame.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ma?da?m(?)/, /ma?dam(?)/, /ma?-/

Noun

madame (plural madames)

1. madam (polite term of address or (less often) title for a noble lady)

Descendants

• English: madam; ma'am
• Scots: madam

References

• “ma-dam(e, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• madama

Etymology

Borrowed from French madame.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ami

Noun

madame f (plural madames)

1. madam (polite term of address to a woman)
2. madam (mistress of a household)

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from French madame.

Noun

madame f (plural madames)

1. madam (polite term of address to a woman)
2. madam (mistress of a household)