lady

[ ley-dee ]

noun

, plural la·dies.

1. a woman who is refined, polite, and well-spoken:

   She may be poor and have little education, but she's a real lady.

2. a woman of high social position or economic class:

   She was born a lady and found it hard to adjust to her reduced circumstances.

3. any woman; female (sometimes used in combination): There was a really nice saleslady at the counter who gave me some advice on what to buy.

   The lady who answered the phone sounded a little stressed.

   There was a really nice saleslady at the counter who gave me some advice on what to buy.

4. (used in direct address: usually offensive in the singular):

   Ladies and gentlemen, welcome.

   Lady, out of my way, please.

5. wife:

   The ambassador and his lady arrived late.

6. Slang. a female lover or steady companion.
7. Lady, (in Great Britain) the proper title of any woman whose husband is higher in rank than baronet or knight, or who is the daughter of a nobleman not lower than an earl (although the title is given by courtesy also to the wives of baronets and knights).
8. a woman who has proprietary rights or authority, as over a manor; female feudal superior. Compare lord ( def 4 ).
9. Lady, the Virgin Mary.
10. a woman who is the object of chivalrous devotion.
11. Usually Lady.
    1. an attribute or abstraction personified as a woman; a designation of an allegorical figure as feminine: Lady Virtue.

       Lady Fortune;

       Lady Virtue.

    2. a title prefixed to the name of a goddess:

       Lady Venus.

adjective

1. Sometimes Offensive. being a female:

   a lady reporter.

2. of a lady; ladylike; feminine.

Lady

¹

/ ˈleɪdɪ /

noun

1. (in Britain) a title of honour borne by various classes of women of the peerage
2. my lady
   my lady a term of address to holders of the title Lady, used esp by servants
3. Our Lady
   Our Lady a title of the Virgin Mary
4. archaic.
   an allegorical prefix for the personifications of certain qualities

   Lady Luck

5. the term of address by which certain positions of respect are prefaced when held by women

   Lady Chairman

lady

²

/ ˈleɪdɪ /

noun

1. a woman regarded as having the characteristics of a good family and high social position
2. 1. a polite name for a woman
   2. ( as modifier )

      a lady doctor

3. See wife
   an informal name for wife
4. lady of the house
   lady of the house the female head of the household
5. See lord
   history a woman with proprietary rights and authority, as over a manor Compare lord

Sensitive Note

In the meanings “refined, polite woman” and “woman of high social position,” the noun lady is the parallel of gentleman. As forms of address, both nouns are used in the plural ( Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your cooperation ), but only lady occurs in the singular. Except in chivalrous, literary, or similar contexts ( Lady, spurn me not ), this singular is now usually perceived as rude or at least insensitive: Where do you want the new air conditioner, lady? Although lady is still found in phrases or compounds referring to occupation or the like ( cleaning lady; saleslady ), this use seems to be diminishing. The use of lady as a modifier ( lady doctor; lady artist ) suggests that it is unusual to find a woman in the role specified. Many women are offended by this use, and it too is becoming less common. An approach that is increasingly followed is to avoid specifying the gender of the performer or practitioner. Person or a gender-neutral term can be substituted for lady, such as cleaner for cleaning lady and sales associate or salesclerk for saleslady. When circumstances make it relevant to specify gender, woman rather than lady is used, the parallel term being man: Men doctors outnumber women doctors on the hospital staff by more than three to one. The adjectives male and female can also be used: I feel more comfortable with a female gynecologist, but my sister prefers to see a male one. -person, -woman.

Other Words From

• lady·hood noun
• lady·ish adjective
• lady·ish·ly adverb
• lady·ish·ness noun
• lady·less adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of lady¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English ladi(e), earlier lavedi, Old English hlǣfdīge, hlǣfdige, perhaps originally meaning “loaf-kneader,” equivalent to hlāf “bread, loaf” ( loaf ¹ ) + -dīge, -dige, variant of dǣge “kneader” ( dough; compare Old Norse deigja “maid”); lord

Word History and Origins

Origin of lady¹

Old English hlǣfdīge, from hlāf bread + dīge kneader, related to dāh dough

Synonym Study

See woman.

Example Sentences

Some of her early songs were so pointedly feminist that radio stations wouldn’t play them, yet she also wrote one of history’s only known songs about PMS, a look-out-fellas-ladies-be-crazy deep cut that, unlike most of her work, has not aged well.

From Washington Post

The lady who lived across the hall had gone to see her daughter in Georgia, and now she was stuck there while all her things were here.

From ProPublica

A week or two later, I told the dog's owner how scared my kids are to go by their house — not because of the dog, but because of the "mean scary lady."

From Washington Post

The only woman indicted in the 20-year history of the International Criminal Court is Simone Gbagbo, the former first lady of Cote d’Ivoire.

From No Straight News

Honorifics should be used on envelopes, and widowhood does not change the lady’s form of address.

From Washington Post

I wonder what that lady is doing now, and if she knows what she set in motion with Archer?

From The Daily Beast

Lady Edith is so sad that her sadness nearly set the whole damned house on fire.

From The Daily Beast

The Real-Life ‘Downton’ Millionairesses Who Changed BritainBy Tim Teeman Lady Grantham of ‘Downton Abbey’ is far from an anomaly.

From The Daily Beast

Lady Rose is also rather subdued in the premiere, which is a pity.

From The Daily Beast

“Officers had to go stop an elderly lady from being assaulted,” Sgt. Houston said.

From The Daily Beast

The lady in black was reading her morning devotions on the porch of a neighboring bathhouse.

From Project Gutenberg

Grandmamma sits in her quaint arm-chair— Never was lady more sweet and fair!

From Project Gutenberg

The young lady, hearing his step, turned round and stood on the stair, confronting him fiercely.

From Project Gutenberg

See the ease and grace of the lady in the sacque, who sits on the bank there, under the myrtles, with the guitar on her lap!

From Project Gutenberg

At another time her affections were deeply engaged by a young gentleman who visited a lady on a neighboring plantation.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• gentlewoman
• nobility
• noblewoman