dame
[deym]
- (initial capital letter) (in Britain)
- the official title of a female member of the Order of the British Empire, equivalent to that of a knight.
- the official title of the wife of a knight or baronet.
- (formerly) a form of address to any woman of rank or authority.
- a matronly woman of advanced age; matron.
- Slang: Sometimes Offensive. a term used to refer to a woman: Some dame cut me off and almost caused an accident.
- Ecclesiastical. a title of a nun in certain orders.
- a mistress of a dame-school.
- Archaic. the mistress of a household.
- Archaic. a woman of rank or authority, especially a female ruler.
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Origin of dame
1175–1225; Middle English < Old French < Latin domina, feminine of dominus lord, master
Usage note
Dame is sometimes perceived as insulting when used to refer generally to a woman, unless it is a woman of rank or advanced age.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for dame
Contemporary Examples
Over a glass (or more) of port, we toast to the Queen…and Dame Judi Dench.
Dame Diana Rigg, who plays Lady Olenna Tyrell in Game of Thrones, has turned tales of critical bashing into a delightful play.
That was your first big film with real actors, and several stars, like Michael Fassbender, Dame Judi Dench, etc.
True Detective Director Cary Fukunaga’s Journey from Pro Snowboarder to Hollywood’s Most WantedMarlow Stern
February 26, 2014
In the coming weeks, Ahrendts will collect a DBE from the British Government, becoming a Dame of the British Empire.
Angela Ahrendts to Become Dame; Google Glass Unveils Stylish FramesThe Fashion Beast Team
January 28, 2014
Angela Lansbury has been created a Dame in the Queen's New Year honors list, for services to drama and charity.
Historical Examples
If any dame sent me up for three years and then wanted money from me, do you think she'd get it?
Within the LawMarvin Dana
One of these wings was set aside for Dame Kronk and the little girl.
In the ValleyHarold Frederic
Mon petit Dame came downstairs, with her grave husband, and kissed me.
My Double LifeSarah Bernhardt
This paper was my contract, and mon petit Dame explained that she was not my mother.
My Double LifeSarah Bernhardt
At that time I had no secretary, but mon petit Dame served me as such.
My Double LifeSarah Bernhardt
dame
- (formerly) a woman of rank or dignity; lady
- a nun who has taken the vows of her order, esp a Benedictine
- archaic, mainly British a matronly or elderly woman
- slang, mainly US and Canadian a woman
- Also called: pantomime dame British the role of a comic old woman in a pantomime, usually played by a man
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Word Origin
C13: from Old French, from Latin domina lady, mistress of a household
Dame
- the title of a woman who has been awarded the Order of the British Empire or any of certain other orders of chivalry
- the legal title of the wife or widow of a knight or baronet, placed before her nameDame Judith Compare Lady
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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
Word Origin and History for dame
n.
early 13c., from Old French dame "lady, mistress, wife," from Late Latin domna, from Latin domina "lady, mistress of the house," from Latin domus "house" (see domestic). Legal title for the wife of a knight or baronet. Slang sense of "woman" first attested 1902 in American English.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper