beldam

[ bel-duh m, -dam ]

/ ˈbɛl dəm, -dæm /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR beldam ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an old woman, especially an ugly one; hag.

Obsolete. grandmother.

Words nearby beldam

belaying cleat, belaying pin, belaúnde, belch, beld, beldam, beleaguer, belection, belemnite, belemnoid, belfast

Also bel·dame

[bel-duh m, -deym] /ˈbɛl dəm, -ˌdeɪm/.

Origin of beldam

1400–50; late Middle English, equivalent to bel- grand- (< Middle French bel, belle fine; see beau, belle) + dam mother (see dam²)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for beldame

It was some time before the ruffled temper of the beldame could be appeased: at last, Vanslyperken succeeded.
Snarley-yow|Frederick Marryat
The beldame has suggested that he must be 'liege-lord of all the elves and fays'.
Keats: Poems Published in 1820|John Keats
What did the beldame mean by saying, "Keep your secret, and I'll keep mine?"
The Room in the Dragon Volant|J. Sheridan LeFanu
Azrael sprang from the ottoman with glowing cheeks, and seized the beldame by the shoulder.
'Midst the Wild Carpathians|Mr Jkai

The beldame looked at him scornfully, and disdained to reply.
For Woman's Love|Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth

British Dictionary definitions for beldame

beldam

beldame

/ (ˈbɛldəm) /

noun

archaic an old woman, esp an ugly or malicious one; hag

an obsolete word for grandmother

Word Origin for beldam

C15: from bel- grand (as in grandmother), from Old French bel beautiful, from Latin bellus + dam mother, variant of dame

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

beldam

noun

Words related to beldam

Words nearby beldam

Origin of beldam

Example sentences from the Web for beldame

British Dictionary definitions for beldame

beldame

noun

Word Origin for beldam