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   lady

   /ˈleɪdi/

   noun

   • 1. a polite or formal way of referring to a woman: "I spoke to the lady at the travel agency" Similar womanadult femalefemalegirllasslassieFrauSignoraSeñorainformal:birdwifewifiegalsistersheilaarchaic:gentlewomanmaiddamsel
   • ▪ used as a courteous designation for a female fellow member of the House of Commons: "the Right Honourable Lady promised me her support"
   • ▪ used as an informal, often brusque, form of address to a woman: North American "I'm sorry, lady, but you have the wrong number"
   • 2. a woman of good social position: "lords and ladies were once entertained at the house" Similar noblewomangentlewomanduchesscountesspeeressviscountessbaronessdamegrand dame
   • ▪ a courteous, decorous, or genteel woman: "his wife was a real lady, with such nice manners"
   • ▪ (in the UK) a title used by peeresses, female relatives of peers, the wives and widows of knights, etc.: "Lady Caroline Lamb"
   • ▪ a woman at the head of a household: "a portrait of the lady of the house"
   • 3. a man's wife: dated "the vice president and his lady"
   • ▪ a female lover or girlfriend: dated "the young man bought a rose for his lady"
   • ▪ a woman to whom a man, especially a knight, is chivalrously devoted. historical
   • 4. a women's public toilet. British

   Word Origin Old Englishhlǣfdīge (denoting a woman to whom homage or obedience is due, such as the wife of a lord, also specifically the Virgin Mary), from hlāf ‘loaf’ + a Germanic base meaning ‘knead’, related to dough; compare with lord. In Lady Day and other compounds where it signifies possession, it represents the Old English genitive hlǣfdīgan ‘(Our) Lady's’.

   Derivatives

   • 1. ladyhood noun

   Scrabble Points: 8

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