beldam

[ bel-duhm, -dam ]

/ ˈbɛl dəm, -dæm /

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noun

an old woman, especially an ugly one; hag.

Obsolete. grandmother.

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Also bel·dame

[bel-duhm, -deym]. /ˈbɛl dəm, -ˌdeɪm/.

Origin of beldam

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, equivalent to bel- “grand-” (from Middle French bel, belle “fine, good-looking”) + dam “mother”; see beau, belle, dam²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use beldam in a sentence

And really she was an awfully nice, capable, human old woman: and I had thought her a beldame when I saw her ironing.
Sea and Sardinia|D. H. Lawrence
But no single syllable would the old beldame now utter against her ancient mistress.
Red Cap Tales|Samuel Rutherford Crockett
And to the horror of Erminie, he grasped the cloak and tore it off, in spite of the vigorous struggles of the beldame.
The Gypsy Queen's Vow|May Agnes Fleming
And at that the beldame laughed very violently and said, "Yea, that is true."
The Story of Sir Launcelot and His Companions|Howard Pyle

And they whispered to the old beldame, saying, "Who is yonder man, and what doth he here?"
The Story of Sir Launcelot and His Companions|Howard Pyle

British Dictionary definitions for beldam

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

Origin of beldam

Words related to beldam

How to use beldam in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for beldam

beldame

Word Origin for beldam