lady

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See also:Lady,lądy,andłady

English

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EnglishWikipediahas an article on:
Wikipedia

Etymology

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FromMiddle Englishlady,laddy,lafdi,lavedi,fromOld Englishhlǣfdīġe(“mistress of a household, wife of a lord, lady”,literally“bread-kneader”),fromhlāf(“bread, loaf”)+dīġe(“kneader”),related toOld Englishdǣġe(“maker of dough”)(whencedey(“dairymaid”)). Compare alsolord.More atloaf,dairy,dough.Unrelated tolad.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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EnglishWikipediahas an article on:
Wikipedia

lady(pluralladies)

  1. (historical)Themistressof ahousehold.
  2. Awomanofbreedingor higherclass,a woman ofauthority.
    "I would like the dining room to be fully set by tonight; would you do so?" "Yes, mylady".
    • 1963,Margery Allingham,chapter 6, inThe China Governess: A Mystery,London:Chatto & Windus,→OCLC:
      ‘[…]I remember aladycoming 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”.[…]’.
  3. The feminine oflord.
    • c.1603–1606,William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”,inMr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies[…](First Folio), London:[…]Isaac Iaggard,andEd[ward]Blount,published1623,→OCLC,[Act I, scene i],page283,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 theeLady.
    • 1848,James Russell Lowell,The Vision of Sir Launfaul,6th edition, Boston: Ticknor and Fields, published1858:
      ’T was the proudest hall in the North Countree,
      And never its gates might opened be,
      Save to lord orladyof high decree[…]
  4. A title for someone married to a lord orgentleman.
  5. A title that can be used instead of the formal terms ofmarchioness,countess,viscountess,orbaroness.
  6. (polite or used by children)Awoman:anadultfemalehuman.
    Please direct thisladyto the soft furnishings department.
  7. (in theplural)A polite reference or form of address to women.
    Ladies and gentlemen, it is a pleasure to be here today. Follow me,ladies!
  8. (slang)Used to address a female.
    Hey,lady,move your car!
    Hey,ladies,how are you doing?
  9. (informal)Awifeorgirlfriend;asweetheart.
  10. A woman to whom the particularhomageof aknightwas paid; a woman to whom one is devoted or bound.
    • 1666,Edmund Waller,“Instructions to a Painter”, inThe Works of Edmund Walker‎[1],Dublin: W. G. Jones, published1768,page154:
      The ſoldier here his waſted ſtore ſupplies,
      And takes new valor from the Ladies’ eyes.
  11. (slang)Aqueen(theplaying card).
  12. (attributive,with a professional title)Who is a woman.
    Aladydoctor.
    • 1964,James Holledge,Sex and the Australian Teenager,Melbounre: Horwitz Publications, page15:
      The recent disclosures caused one headmistress of a city college to arrange for sex instructions to be given by alady doctorto various forms.
  13. (Wicca)Alternative form ofLady.
  14. (archaic)gastric mill,thetrituratingapparatusin thestomachof alobster,consisting ofcalcareousplates;so called from a fancied resemblance to a seated female figure.
  15. (UK,slang)Afive-poundnote.(Rhyming slang,Lady Godivaforfiver.)
  16. (slang,chiefly in theplural)Awoman’sbreast.
  17. (chess,slang,rare)Aqueen.

Derived terms

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Descendants

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Translations

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References

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Verb

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lady(third-person singular simple presentladies,present participleladying,simple past and past participleladied)

  1. To address as “lady”.
    • 1897,Macmillan’s Magazine,page13,column 1:
      “[…]When I am dead ye’ll mind I said it, my leddy.” “Ah, Elspeth, but do notladyme; say Christine, justweeChristine.[…]”
    • 1906,Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine: A Popular Journal of General Literature,page374:
      “I thought you would never come, Lady Mary,” and he kissed her again. “Why will you persist inladyingme? Have I not told you—stop, now, will you?” and she pushed his mouth away. “Have I not told you as many times as you have seen me to call me Mary only?”
    • 1928,The Letters of Mary Nisbet of Dirleton, Countess of Elgin,New York, N.Y.:D Appleton and Company,page276:
      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 ofladyingher, 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,page658:
      ‘Then, Lady Placida, thereissomething I wish to ask of you.’ ‘Only,’ she said sternly, ‘if you stopLadyingme. I have a name, dear.’
    • 2013,Brenda Joyce,A Rose in the Storm,Harlequin,→ISBN,page130:
      “Lady!” “No, do not ‘lady’ me!” Margaret admonished.
    • 2018,Skye MacKinnon,Winter Princess (Daughter of Winter, Book Two),Peryton Press:
      “How can I help, my lady?” “Stop theladying.[…]”

See also

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Anagrams

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French

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Etymology

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BorrowedfromEnglishlady,fromMiddle Englishlady,fromOld Englishhlǣfdīġe.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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ladyf(pluralladiesorladys)

  1. lady(wife of a British lord; important woman, usually British)
    Synonyms:dame,madame

Further reading

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Italian

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Etymology

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Unadapted borrowingfromEnglishlady.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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ladyf(invariable)

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

Synonyms

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References

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  1. ^ladyinLuciano Canepari,Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)

Middle English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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FromOld Englishhlǣfdīġe,in turn fromhlāf(“bread, loaf”)+*dīġe(“maid”).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key):/ˈlaːdiː(ə)/,/ˈladiː(ə)/
  • (mainly Early ME)IPA(key):/ˈlavdiː(ə)/

Noun

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lady(pluralladies,genitiveladiesorlady)

  1. Awomanwithauthorityorleadership:
    1. Alady(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 myladiI 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, mylady".
    2. Alady(noblewomanorfemalemonarch).
    3. A woman who manages anabbeyorinn.
  2. The wife of anobleormonarch.
  3. A polite way to address a noble or honoured woman.
  4. (by extension)Anywoman.
  5. Afemaledeity(or the Virgin Mary).

Descendants

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References

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Polish

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PolishWikipediahas an article on:
Wikipediapl

Etymology 1

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Unadapted borrowingfromEnglishlady,fromMiddle Englishlady,laddy,lafdi,lavedi,fromOld Englishhlǣfdīġe.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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ladyf(indeclinable)

  1. Lady(aristocratic title for a woman)
  2. lady(wife of a lord)
  3. lady(woman of breeding and authority)

Etymology 2

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See the etymology of the correspondinglemmaform.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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ladyf

  1. inflection oflada:
    1. genitivesingular
    2. nominative/accusative/vocativeplural

Further reading

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  • ladyinWielki słownik języka polskiego,Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • ladyin Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian

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Etymology

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Unadapted borrowingfromEnglishlady.

Noun

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ladyf(plurallady)

  1. lady

Spanish

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Etymology

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Unadapted borrowingfromEnglishlady.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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ladyf(pluralladies)

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

Usage notes

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According toRoyal 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

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Swedish

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Etymology

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Unadapted borrowingfromEnglishlady,fromMiddle Englishlady,laddy,lafdi,lavedi,fromOld Englishhlǣfdīġe.

Noun

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ladyc

  1. Lady(aristocratic title for a woman)
  2. lady(wife of a lord)
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