madam

[ mad-uhm ]
See synonyms for madam on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural mes·dames [mey-dam, -dahm] /meɪˈdæm, -ˈdɑm/ for 1; mad·ams for 2, 3.
  1. (often initial capital letter) a polite term of address to a woman, originally used only to a woman of rank or authority:Madam President; May I help you, madam?

  2. the woman in charge of a household: Is the madam at home?

  1. the woman in charge of a house of prostitution.

Origin of madam

1
1250–1300; Middle English madame<Old French, originally ma dame my lady; see dame

Words that may be confused with madam

Words Nearby madam

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use madam in a sentence

  • I tell you, madam, most distinctly and emphatically, that it is bread pudding and the meanest kind at that.'

  • I am ready madam,—for I have sufficiently experienced the folly of my presuming to decline it.

  • Another female person, whom I put down as madam Stone, arose and disappeared through an open door at my approach.

    Raw Gold | Bertrand W. Sinclair
  • The boy took off his hat, and very handsomely addressed the cow, with "Your servant, madam."

  • I should be sorry to lay upon you, my dear madam, a burthen greater than the one you have already to bear.

    The World Before Them | Susanna Moodie

British Dictionary definitions for madam

madam

/ (ˈmædəm) /


nounplural madams or for sense 1 mesdames (ˈmeɪˌdæm)
  1. a polite term of address for a woman, esp one considered to be of relatively high social status

  2. a woman who runs a brothel

  1. British informal a precocious or pompous little girl

  2. the madam Southern African informal the lady of the house

Origin of madam

1
C13: from Old French ma dame my lady

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012