Lady

Lady (plural Ladies)

1. An aristocratic title for a woman; the wife of a lord and/or a woman who holds the position in her own right; a title for a peeress, the wife of a peer or knight, and the daughters and daughters-in-law of certain peers.

   Sir John Smith and Lady Smith.

   Would Lady Macbeth care for dessert?

   • 1892, Oscar Wilde, “Act I”, in Lady Windermere's Fan ‎:

     How do you do, Lady Windermere?

   • 1931, The Bee Hive, volume 50, number 5, page 16, column 1:

     Honor guests were Ladies Smith and Walker of Port Huron, Michigan. Lady Walker has been a Maccabee for 40 years.

2. (Wicca) A high priestess.

Lady

1. The title for the (primary) female deity in female-centered religions.

   My Lady, will you not take pity on me?

   1. (in particular) The major supernatural figurehead in the Wiccan religion, a triune goddess split into the Mother, Maiden, and Crone.
      • 2002, A.J. Drew, Wicca for Couples: Making Magick Together, page 90:

        ...different stages of life as represented by our Lady as Maiden, Mother, and Crone, as well as our Lord as Master, Father, and Sage.

      • 2003, Carl McColman, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Paganism, page 46:

        The Lord and the Lady Actually, when I say that Wicca is a Goddess tradition, I'm really only telling half of the story.

      • 2004, Aurora Greenbough, Cathy Jewell, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Spells and Spellcraft, page 9:

        The Lady is often thought of as having three aspects: Maiden, Mother, and Crone.

• (religious senses): Goddess

• (antonym(s) of “Wicca”): Lord, Horned God, God

• (Wicca): Lord

• Lord
• Our Lady

• DALY, Daly, Dyal, Lyda, layd, yald

18th century, borrowed from English lady.

• IPA^(key): /ˈlɛɪ̯di/, /ˈleːdi/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: La‧dy

Lady f (genitive Lady, plural Ladys or (dated) Ladies, masculine (noble) Lord or (genteel) Gentleman or Kavalier or Herr)

1. lady, Lady (British noblewoman)
2. lady (genteel woman)

   Synonym: (feine) Dame

• First Lady
• ladylike, ladyhaft
• Ladyschaft

• “Lady” in Duden online