Godiva

[ guh-dahy-vuh ]

/ gəˈdaɪ və /

noun

Lady Godiva, died 1057, wife of Leofric. According to legend, she rode naked through the streets of Coventry, England, to win relief for the people from a burdensome tax.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for godiva

And they divined at once that she was gone to Crowland, to Godiva; but why, they could not guess.
Hereward, The Last of the English|Charles Kingsley
She,” he thought to himself, “had nothing on Godiva—except a piano cover!
The Dark Star|Robert W. Chambers
Found Flu, the armless artist, in the Muse copying a picture of Godiva.
Julia Ward Howe|Laura E. Richards
In Illica's version of the Godiva story, the heroine, Isabeau, is as renowned for her aversion to marriage as for her beauty.
The Complete Opera Book|Gustav Kobb

For a moment or two there was silence in the room, only broken by Godiva's purrs and the twittering of the birds outside.
The Girls of St. Cyprian's|Angela Brazil

British Dictionary definitions for godiva

Godiva

/ (ɡəˈdaɪvə) /

noun

Lady. ?1040–1080, wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia. According to legend, she rode naked through Coventry in order to obtain remission for the townspeople from the heavy taxes imposed by her husband

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 godiva

Godiva

d.1067, Lady of Coventry and wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia. Legend first recorded 100 years after her death, by Roger of Wendover. "Peeping Tom" aspect added by 1659.