lady-in-waiting

American  

[ley-dee-in-wey-ting] / ˈleɪ di ɪnˈweɪ tɪŋ /

noun

plural

ladies-in-waiting

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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lady-in-waiting British  

noun

1. a lady of a royal household who attends a queen or princess

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Etymology

Origin of lady-in-waiting

First recorded in 1860–65

Explanation

The attendant who serves as an assistant to a queen or princess is a lady-in-waiting. Queen Elizabeth of York, the wife of King Henry VII, had an astounding 36 ladies-in-waiting. The third wife of England's King Henry VIII, Jane Seymour, served as lady-in-waiting to his first two wives before becoming Queen herself. Most English ladies-in-waiting have been nobles in the same social class as their employers and were considered companions who helped with day-to-day tasks. In other parts of the world, this role was sometimes filled by a servant or slave. Today, female British royals still have ladies-in-waiting whose job is described as "providing companionship and counsel."

Example Sentences

The lady-in-waiting, Susan Hussey, resigned and later offered a face-to-face apology to Ms. Fulani.

From New York Times • Jun. 29, 2023

She once gave an expensive watch to a lady-in-waiting who’d been late to an engagement — a not-so-subtle hint to be on time.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2023

Widely considered the world’s first novel, Genji was composed in the eleventh century by Murasaki Shikibu, a noblewoman and lady-in-waiting in the Heian Court.

From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023

The queen offered Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, “the ear of her most senior lady-in-waiting, Lady Susan Hussey,” Tina Brown wrote in her book “The Palace Papers.”

From Washington Post • Dec. 1, 2022

She nodded her head with a contented, sleepy look, and the lady-in-waiting carried it to the dressing-room with a curtsy.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White