cache information close 

lady Hear it!

lady definition

lady (lādē)

noun pl. ladies -·dies

  1. the mistress of a household: now obsolete except in the phrase the lady of the house
  2. a woman who has the rights, rule, or authority of a lord
  3. a woman of high social position
  4. a woman who is polite, refined, and well-mannered
  5. any woman: a polite term, esp. as (in pl.) a form of address
  6. Old-fashioned a woman with reference to the man who is her devoted attendant, lover, etc.
  7. in Great Britain, the title of respect given to a marchioness, countess, viscountess, or baroness; to the daughter of a duke, marquis, or earl; or to the wife of a baronet, knight, or holder of the courtesy title Lord
  8. this title as a form of address for a woman holding the title Lady, now used only by servants, salespeople, etc.: preceded by My
  9. the Virgin Mary: usually with Our
  10. Informal a mistress (sense ) or girlfriend (sense ), esp. one who is cohabiting

Etymology: ME lavedi < OE hlæfdige, lady, mistress < hlaf, loaf + -dige < dæge, (bread) kneader < IE base *dheih-: see dough

adjective

Informal female a lady barber

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Comments
Improve this definition.
Do you have more to add? Share your linguistic knowledge or observation.
/Register to save your comments.
Related Discussions (1)
TopicRepliesLatest Post
Lady Luck339 years ago

Browse Forums