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madame. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
madame, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
madame in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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English
Etymology
Borrowed from French madame, from Old French ma dame (“my lady”). Doublet of madam and Madonna.
Pronunciation
Noun
madame (plural madames or mesdames)
- Alternative form of madam
Derived terms
Anagrams
Finnish
Etymology
From French madame.
Pronunciation
Noun
madame
- madam
Declension
Derived terms
Further reading
French
Etymology
From Old French ma dame (“my lady”), equivalent to ma + dame.
Pronunciation
Noun
madame f (plural mesdames)
- 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
Bonjour, madame, comment puis-je vous aider ?- Hello, ma'am, how can I help you?
Si vous êtes libre, pourriez-vous aider madame, s’il vous plaît?- If you're free, could you help this lady, please?
- madam, Mrs. or Ms.; a title used with a woman's full name or surname, or (in childish language) her first name
- (in children's language, childish) lady, woman
Dis merci à la madame.- Say thank you to the lady.
- 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”, in 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. "
Usage notes
- Unlike in English, Madame is frequently used without a name or article as a polite reference to a woman in the third person, notably in official registers:
Madame s’est présentée à l’urgence à 18 h 12.- The/This lady/The patient/Ms. attended the emergency room at 6:12 p.m.
- Although un/le monsieur is used as a common noun to mean "a/the gentleman," using the word une/la madame to mean "a/the lady" is considered childish language. Instead, une/la dame is used.
Synonyms
Coordinate terms
Derived terms
Descendants
Further reading
Italian
Pronunciation
Noun
madame f
- plural of madama
References
Middle English
Etymology
From Old French madame; compare dame.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /maˈdaːm(ə)/, /maˈdam(ə)/, /maː-/
Noun
madame (plural madames)
- madam (polite term of address or (less often) title for a noble lady)
Descendants
References
Portuguese
Etymology
Borrowed from French madame.
Pronunciation
- Rhymes: (Portugal) -ɐmɨ, (Brazil) -ɐ̃mi
- Hyphenation: ma‧da‧me
Noun
madame f (plural madames)
- madam (polite term of address to a woman)
- madam (mistress of a household)
Spanish
Etymology
Borrowed from French madame.
Noun
madame f (plural madames)
- madam (polite term of address to a woman)
- madam (mistress of a household)
Swedish
Noun
madame c
- Synonym of fru (and French)
Declension
See also
References