. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
you have here. The definition of the word
will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
From Middle English lady , laddy , lafdi , lavedi , from Old English hlǣfdīġe ( “ mistress of a household, wife of a lord, lady ” , literally “ bread-kneader ” ) , from hlāf ( “ bread, loaf ” ) + dīġe ( “ kneader ” ) , related to Old English dǣġe ( “ maker of dough ” ) (whence dey ( “ dairymaid ” ) ). Compare also lord . More at loaf , dairy , dough . Unrelated to lad .
Pronunciation
Noun
lady (plural ladies )
( historical ) The mistress of a household .
A woman of breeding or higher class , a woman of authority .
"I would like the dining room to be fully set by tonight; would you do so?" "Yes, my lady ".
1963 , Margery Allingham , chapter 6, in The China Governess: A Mystery , London: Chatto & Windus , →OCLC :‘ [ …] I remember a lady coming to inspect St. Mary's Home where I was brought up and seeing us all in our lovely Elizabethan uniforms we were so proud of, and bursting into tears all over us because “it was wicked to dress us like charity children”. [ …] ’.
The feminine of lord .
c. 1603–1606 , William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear ”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio ), London: Isaac Iaggard , and Ed Blount , published 1623 , →OCLC , , page 283 , column 2:Of all theſe bounds euen from this Line, to this, / With ſhadowie Forreſts, and with Champains rich’d / With plenteous Riuers, and wide-ſkirted Meades / We make thee Lady .
1848 , James Russell Lowell , The Vision of Sir Launfaul , 6th edition, Boston: Ticknor and Fields, published 1858 :’T was the proudest hall in the North Countree, And never its gates might opened be, Save to lord or lady of high decree [ …]
A title for someone married to a lord or gentleman .
A title that can be used instead of the formal terms of marchioness , countess , viscountess , or baroness .
( polite or used by children ) A woman : an adult female human .
Please direct this lady to the soft furnishings department.
( in the plural ) A polite reference or form of address to women.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is a pleasure to be here today. Follow me, ladies !
1897 December (indicated as 1898 ), Winston Churchill , chapter IV, in The Celebrity: An Episode , New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company ; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd. , →OCLC , page 58 :The Celebrity, by arts unknown, induced Mrs. Judge Short and two other ladies to call at Mohair on a certain afternoon when Mr. Cooke was trying a trotter on the track. The three returned wondering and charmed with Mrs. Cooke; they were sure she had had no hand in the furnishing of that atrocious house.
( slang ) Used to address a female.
Hey, lady , move your car!
Hey, ladies , how are you doing?
( informal ) A wife or girlfriend ; a sweetheart .
c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet ”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio ), London: Isaac Iaggard , and Ed Blount , published 1623 , →OCLC , , page 59 , column 2:It is my Lady , O it is my Loue, O that ſhe knew ſhe were, She ſpeakes, yet ſhe ſayes nothing, what of that?
A woman to whom the particular homage of a knight was paid; a woman to whom one is devoted or bound.
1666 , Edmund Waller , “Instructions to a Painter”, in The Works of Edmund Walker , Dublin: W. G. Jones, published 1768 , page 154 :The ſoldier here his waſted ſtore ſupplies, And takes new valor from the Ladies’ eyes.
( slang ) A queen ( the playing card ) .
( attributive , with a professional title) Who is a woman.
A lady doctor.
1964 , James Holledge, Sex and the Australian Teenager , Melbounre: Horwitz Publications, page 15 :The recent disclosures caused one headmistress of a city college to arrange for sex instructions to be given by a lady doctor to various forms.
( Wicca ) Alternative form of Lady .
( archaic ) gastric mill , the triturating apparatus in the stomach of a lobster , consisting of calcareous plates ; so called from a fancied resemblance to a seated female figure.
( UK , slang ) A five -pound note . (Rhyming slang, Lady Godiva for fiver .)
( slang , chiefly in the plural ) A woman ’s breast .
( chess , slang , rare ) A queen .
Derived terms
Descendants
Translations
mistress of a household
Albanian: zonjë (sq) f
Arabic: رَبَّة f ( rabba ) , رَبَّةْ اَلْبَيْت ( rabbat al-bayt ) , رَبَّةْ اَلْمَنْزِل f ( rabbat al-manzil )
Egyptian Arabic: ست البيت f ( set il-bēt ) , ( formally ) ربة منزل f ( rabet manzel )
Armenian: տանտիկին (hy) ( tantikin )
Basque: andre (eu)
Bulgarian: стопа́нка (bg) f ( stopánka )
Chinese:
Mandarin: 女主人 (zh) ( nǚzhǔrén )
Egyptian: (ḥnwt f )
Esperanto: domestrino
Finnish: emäntä (fi) , rouva (fi)
Galician: dona f , señora (gl) f
German: Herrin des Hauses f , Hausherrin (de) f , Ehefrau des Hausherrn f , Frau des Hauses f
Greek: νοικοκυρά (el) f ( noikokyrá )
Irish: bantiarna f
Latin: domina (la) f
Latvian: saimniece f
Macedonian: стопанка f ( stopanka ) , газдарица f ( gazdarica )
Middle English: lady , dame
Old English: hlæfdige f
Ottoman Turkish: قادین ( kadın ) , سیده ( seyyide )
Persian: کدبانو (fa) ( kadbânu )
Portuguese: ama (pt) f
Romanian: doamnă (ro) f
Russian: хозя́йка (ru) f ( xozjájka )
Scottish Gaelic: baintighearna (gd) f
Serbo-Croatian:
Roman: gospodarica (sh) f , gazdarica (sh) f
Sorbian:
Lower Sorbian: kněni f
Spanish: ama (es) f
Swahili: msichana (sw)
Swedish: fru (sv) c , herrinna (sv) c
Zulu: inkosikazi (zu) class 9 /6
woman of breeding and authority
Afrikaans: dame (af)
Albanian: zonjë (sq) f
Arabic: خَاتُون f ( ḵātūn ) , سَيِّدَة f ( sayyida ) , هَانِم f ( hānim )
Egyptian Arabic: هانم f ( hānem )
Aromanian: chirã f
Azerbaijani: xanım
Belarusian: спада́рыня f ( spadárynja ) , па́ні f ( páni ) , лэ́дзі f ( lédzi ) , да́ма f ( dáma )
Breton: itron (br) f
Bulgarian: да́ма (bg) f ( dáma )
Cherokee: ᎠᎨᏴ ( ageyv )
Chinese:
Mandarin: 女士 (zh) ( nǚshì ) , 貴婦 / 贵妇 (zh) ( guìfù )
Cornish: arloedhes f
Czech: dáma (cs) f
Danish: dame (da) c
Dutch: dame (nl) f
Esperanto: sinjorino (eo)
Finnish: rouva (fi)
French: dame (fr) f , madame (fr) f , lady (fr) f
Friulian: signore f , done f , dame f
Galician: dona f , señora (gl) f
Georgian: ქალბატონი ( kalbaṭoni )
German: Dame (de) f
Greek: κυρία (el) f ( kyría )
Irish: bean uasal f , bantiarna f
Italian: signora (it) f , dama (it) f , lady (it) f
Japanese: 婦人 (ja) ( ふじん, fujin ) , レディ (ja) ( redi ) , 淑女 (ja) ( しゅくじょ, shukujo )
Korean: 레이디 ( reidi ) , 부인 (ko) ( bu'in ) , 숙녀 (ko) ( sungnyeo )
Latin: domina (la) f
Latvian: dāma f
Lithuanian: ponia f
Macedonian: дама f ( dama )
Manx: benchiarn f
Middle English: lady , dame
Norwegian: dame (no)
Occitan: dòna (oc) f
Old English: drihtlice f , ides f , freo f , hlæfdige f
Ottoman Turkish: قادین ( kadın ) , سیده ( seyyide )
Pashto: مېرمنه f ( mermᶕna )
Persian: بانو (fa) ( bânu ) , ستی (fa) ( sati ) , مادام (fa) ( mâdâm ) , خانم (fa) ( xânom ) , خاتون (fa) ( xâtun )
Polish: pani (pl) f , dama (pl) f
Portuguese: senhora (pt) f , dona (pt) f , dama (pt) f
Romani: rani f
Romanian: doamnă (ro)
Russian: ( indecl ) ле́ди (ru) f ( lédi ) , да́ма (ru) f ( dáma ) , суда́рыня (ru) f ( sudárynja ) , госпожа́ (ru) f ( gospožá )
Scottish Gaelic: bean-uasal (gd) f , baintighearna (gd) f , bana-mhorair f
Slovak: dáma (sk) f
Sorbian:
Lower Sorbian: kněni f
Spanish: señora (es) f , dama (es) f
Tagalog: gining
Tajik: хонум ( xonum ) , бону ( bonu )
Turkish: hanım (tr)
Ukrainian: па́ні (uk) f ( páni ) , ле́ді f ( lédi ) , да́ма f ( dáma )
Urdu: خاتون f ( xātūn )
Uzbek: xonim (uz)
Welsh: arglwyddes f , boneddiges f
Zulu: inkosikazi (zu) class 9 /6
title for the wife a lord
Afrikaans: (please verify ) haar ladyskap edele
Albanian: zonjë (sq) f
Arabic: لِيدِي f ( lēdī )
Egyptian Arabic: ليدي f ( lēdī )
Belarusian: лэ́дзі f ( lédzi )
Breton: itron (br) f
Bulgarian: ле́йди f ( léjdi )
Cornish: arloedhes f
Czech: dáma (cs) f
Dutch: dame (nl) f
Egyptian: (ḥnwt f )
Esperanto: lordedzino
Finnish: lady (fi)
French: dame (fr) f , madame (fr) f , lady (fr) f
Galician: dama f , señora (gl) f , dona f
German: Frau (de) f , Herrin (de) f , Dame (de) f
Greek: λαίδη (el) f ( laídi )
Hungarian: úrnő (hu)
Irish: bantiarna f
Italian: signora (it) f , lady (it) f
Japanese: 夫人 (ja) ( ふじん, fujin ) , レディ (ja) ( redi )
Korean: 레이디 ( reidi ) , 부인 (ko) ( bu'in )
Latin: domina (la) f
Latvian: lēdija f
Macedonian: дама f ( dama ) , леди f ( ledi )
Manx: benchiarn f
Maori: rēri
Middle English: lady
Old English: drihtlice f , ides f , freo f , hlæfdige f
Ottoman Turkish: قادین ( kadın ) , سیده ( seyyide )
Polish: pani (pl) f , lady (pl) f
Portuguese: senhora (pt) f
Romanian: lady (ro) f , doamnă (ro) f
Russian: ле́ди (ru) f ( lédi ) , да́ма (ru) f ( dáma ) , госпожа́ (ru) f ( gospožá ) , ба́рыня (ru) f ( bárynja )
Scottish Gaelic: baintighearna (gd) f
Spanish: señora (es) f
Swedish: fru (sv) , herrinna (sv) c
Ukrainian: ле́ді f ( lédi )
Welsh: arglwyddes f
Zulu: inkosikazi (zu) class 9 /6
polite term referring to a woman
Afrikaans: dame (af)
Albanian: zonjë (sq) f
Arabic: سَيِّدَة f ( sayyida ) , ( my lady ) سَيِّدَتِي ( sayyidatī ) , أُسْتَاذَة f ( ʔustāḏa ) , هَانُم f ( hānum )
Egyptian Arabic: أستاذة f ( ʔostaza ) , مدام f ( madām )
Armenian: տիկին (hy) ( tikin )
Aromanian: chirã f
Azerbaijani: xanım
Basque: andre (eu)
Belarusian: спада́рыня f ( spadárynja ) , па́ні f ( páni )
Breton: itron (br) f
Bulgarian: госпожа́ (bg) f ( gospožá )
Catalan: senyora (ca)
Cherokee: ᎠᎨᏴ ( ageyv )
Chinese:
Dungan: тэтэ ( tete )
Mandarin: 太太 (zh) ( tàitai ) , 夫人 (zh) ( fūren )
Czech: dáma (cs) f , paní (cs) f
Danish: dame (da) c
Dutch: dame (nl) f
Esperanto: sinjorino (eo)
Estonian: proua (et)
Finnish: rouva (fi)
French: dame (fr) f , madame (fr) f
Friulian: signore f , done f , dame f
Galician: dona f , señora (gl) f
Georgian: ქალბატონი ( kalbaṭoni )
German: Dame (de) f , meine Dame f , Madam f , verehrte Frau f
Greek: κυρία (el) f ( kyría )
Hebrew: גברת \ גְבֶרֶת (he) f ( gvéret )
Hindi: महिला (hi) f ( mahilā ) , महोदया (hi) f ( mahodyā ) , श्रीमती (hi) f ( śrīmtī ) , साहिबा f ( sāhibā ) , बानू f ( bānū ) , देवी (hi) f ( devī )
Hungarian: hölgy (hu)
Irish: bean uasal f
Istriot: duona f
Italian: signora (it) f , dama (it) f
Japanese: 奥様 (ja) ( おくさま, okusama ) , 貴婦人 (ja) ( きふじん, kifujin )
Kazakh: ханым ( xanym )
Korean: 아줌마 (ko) ( ajumma ) , 아가씨 (ko) ( agassi ) ( young lady )
Kurdish:
Northern Kurdish: xanim (ku)
Kyrgyz: айым (ky) ( ayım )
Latin: domina (la) f
Latvian: kundze f , dāma f
Lithuanian: ponia f
Louisiana Creole French: fenm
Macedonian: госпоѓа f ( gospoǵa )
Malay: puan
Middle English: lady , dame
Mongolian:
Cyrillic: хатагтай (mn) ( xatagtaj )
Mongolian: ᠬᠠᠲᠤᠭᠲᠠᠢ ( qatuɣtai )
Norwegian: dame (no)
Occitan: dòna (oc) f , senhora (oc) f
Ossetian: ӕхсин ( æxsin )
Ottoman Turkish: قادین ( kadın ) , سیده ( seyyide )
Persian: خانم (fa) ( xânom ) , مادام (fa) ( mâdâm ) , بانو (fa) ( bânu )
Polish: pani (pl) f
Portuguese: dama (pt) f , moça (pt) f
Romanian: doamnă (ro) f
Romansch: dunna f
Russian: госпожа́ (ru) f ( gospožá ) , да́ма (ru) f ( dáma ) , мада́м (ru) f ( madám ) , суда́рыня (ru) f ( sudárynja ) ( dated )
Scottish Gaelic: bean-uasal (gd) f
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: го̏спођа f
Roman: gȍspođa (sh) f
Slovak: pani f
Slovene: gospa (sl) f
Spanish: señora (es) f , dama (es) f
Swedish: dam (sv) c
Tajik: хонум ( xonum ) , бону ( bonu )
Talysh: خنم ( xanəm )
Telugu: మహిళ (te) ( mahiḷa )
Turkish: hanımefendi (tr) , hanım (tr) , bayan (tr)
Turkmen: hanym
Ukrainian: па́ні (uk) f ( páni )
Urdu: صاحبہ f ( sāhiba ) , بانو f ( bānū ) , مہیلا f ( mahilā )
Uyghur: خېنىم ( xënim ) , خانىم ( xanim )
Uzbek: xonim (uz)
Volapük: läd (vo)
Zulu: inkosikazi (zu) class 9 /6
toilets intended for use by women
woman to whom one is devoted or bound
with a professional title: who is a woman
triturating apparatus in the stomach of a lobster
— see gastric mill
five-pound note
— see also fiver
References
Verb
lady (third-person singular simple present ladies , present participle ladying , simple past and past participle ladied )
To address as “lady”.
1897 , Macmillan’s Magazine , page 13 , column 1:“ [ …] When I am dead ye’ll mind I said it, my leddy.” “Ah, Elspeth, but do not lady me; say Christine, just wee Christine. [ …] ”
1928 , The Letters of Mary Nisbet of Dirleton, Countess of Elgin , New York, N.Y.: D Appleton and Company , page 276 :I see Bey still continues jealous of poor Mou; does she still go by that name? In Greek it means “my” and her Paramanas always called her Lady Mary Mou, so we called her Mou. I hope you admire my teaching you Greek. I beg you will break Bruce of ladying her, if it should grow up with him it would be detestable.
2006 , Jim Butcher , Cursor’s Fury: Book Three of the Codex Alera , New York, N.Y.: Ace Books , page 658 :‘Then, Lady Placida, there is something I wish to ask of you.’ ‘Only,’ she said sternly, ‘if you stop Ladying me. I have a name, dear.’
2018 , Skye MacKinnon, Winter Princess (Daughter of Winter, Book Two) , Peryton Press:“How can I help, my lady?” “Stop the ladying . [ …] ”
See also
Anagrams
French
Etymology
Borrowed from English lady , from Middle English lady , from Old English hlǣfdīġe .
Pronunciation
Noun
lady f (plural ladies or ladys )
lady ( wife of a British lord; important woman, usually British )
Synonyms: dame , madame
Further reading
Italian
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from English lady .
Pronunciation
Noun
lady f (invariable )
lady ( wife of a lord; important woman )
Synonyms
References
Middle English
laddy , ladi , ladie , ladij , ladye , lavedi , lefdi , lefdy , levedi , levedy , lhevedi
( early ME ) lafdi , laffdiȝ , læfdi , lævedi , leafdi
Etymology
From Old English hlǣfdīġe , in turn from hlāf ( “ bread, loaf ” ) + *dīġe ( “ maid ” ) .
Pronunciation
IPA (key ) : /ˈlaːdiː(ə)/ , /ˈladiː(ə)/
( mainly Early ME ) IPA (key ) : /ˈlavdiː(ə)/
Noun
lady (plural ladies , genitive ladies or lady )
A woman with authority or leadership :
A lady ( mistress of a household )
c. 1382 , John Wycliffe , transl., Wycliffe's Bible , Genesis 16:7–9:And whanne the aungel of the Lord hadde foundun hir biside the welle of water in wildirnes, the which is in the / weye of Sur in desert, he seide to hir, Agar, the hand mayden of Saray, whens comyst thow, and whithir gost thow? / The which answeride, Fro the face of Saray my ladi I flee. And when the angel of the Lord had found her in the wilderness beside the spring of water, which is in the desert on the way to Shur, he said to her, "Hagar, handmaiden of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?" She answered, "I am fleeing from the face of Sarai, my lady ".
A lady ( noblewoman or female monarch ) .
A woman who manages an abbey or inn .
The wife of a noble or monarch .
A polite way to address a noble or honoured woman .
( by extension ) Any woman .
A female deity ( or the Virgin Mary ) .
Descendants
References
Polish
Etymology 1
Unadapted borrowing from English lady , from Middle English lady , laddy , lafdi , lavedi , from Old English hlǣfdīġe .
Pronunciation
IPA (key ) : /ˈlɛj.di/
Rhymes: -ɛjdi
Syllabification: la‧dy
Noun
lady f (indeclinable )
Lady ( aristocratic title for a woman )
lady ( wife of a lord )
lady ( woman of breeding and authority )
Etymology 2
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Pronunciation
Noun
lady f
inflection of lada :
genitive singular
nominative / accusative / vocative plural
Further reading
lady in Wielki słownik języka polskiego , Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
lady in Polish dictionaries at PWN
Romanian
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from English lady .
Noun
lady f (plural lady )
lady
Spanish
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from English lady .
Pronunciation
Noun
lady f (plural ladies )
lady ( wife of a lord; important woman )
Usage notes
According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.
Further reading