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ladies-in-waiting

[ley-deez-in-wey-ting]
noun
  1. plural of lady-in-waiting.
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lady-in-waiting

[ley-dee-in-wey-ting]
noun, plural la·dies-in-wait·ing.
  1. a lady who is in attendance upon a queen or princess.
  2. Facetious. a woman who is pregnant: flattering fashions for the lady-in-waiting.
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Origin of lady-in-waiting

First recorded in 1860–65
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

soubrette, abigail, maid-in-waiting

Examples from the Web for ladies-in-waiting

Historical Examples

  • Accompanied by their ladies-in-waiting they met at the church door.

    Myths and Legends of All Nations

    Various

  • And to the ladies-in-waiting he commended himself by his quiet courtesy.

    Victorian Worthies

    George Henry Blore

  • By the way, I hear you haven't sent for any of your ladies-in-waiting this morning.

  • And one of the ladies-in-waiting had to go down; but she put on wooden clogs.

    The Yellow Fairy Book

    Leonora Blanche Alleyne Lang

  • Then I came here, attending to the ladies-in-waiting on the way.'

    A Witch Shall Be Born

    Robert E. Howard

British Dictionary definitions for ladies-in-waiting

lady-in-waiting

noun plural ladies-in-waiting
  1. a lady of a royal household who attends a queen or princess
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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