madame

[ muh-dam, -dahm, ma-; mad-uh m; French ma-dam ]

/ məˈdæm, -ˈdɑm, mæ-; ˈmæd əm; French maˈdam /

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noun, plural mes·dames [mey-dam, -dahm; French mey-dam] /meɪˈdæm, -ˈdɑm; French meɪˈdam/. (often initial capital letter)

a French title of respect equivalent to “Mrs.”, used alone or prefixed to a woman's married name or title: Madame Curie.

(in English) a title of respect used in speaking to or of an older woman, especially one of distinction, who is not of American or British origin. Abbreviation: Mme.

RELATED WORDS

dame, madonna, Frau, signora

Nearby words

Origin of madame

From French, dating back to 1590–1600; see origin at madam

Can be confusedmadam madame

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

Examples from the Web for madame

Lacey Noonan's A Gronking to Remember makes 50 Shades of Grey look like Madame Bovary in terms of its literary sophistication.
‘A Gronking to Remember’ Speed Read: 8 Naughtiest Bits|Emily Shire|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Madame Cézanne is ultimately about the figure in the portraits rather than the person, who remains a tantalizing enigma.
Sight Unseen: Cézanne’s Mysterious Wife|Lizzie Crocker|November 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Last year, while filming the documentary “Madame Presidenta: Why Not U.S.?”
What Brazil’s Dilma Rousseff Can Teach Hillary Clinton|Heather Arnet|October 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When Madame Tussauds unveiled their new waxwork of Kate, people queued up for a chance to feel “her” hair.
Why Kate's Hair Matters|Tom Sykes|July 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST

But Madame Clinton has never been very elegant in her statements.
What the D-Day Veteran Told Obama at the 70th Anniversary Commemoration|Christopher Dickey|June 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Becoming impatient of this delay, Madame Nelson pressed them for an explanation.
A Lady's Captivity among Chinese Pirates in the Chinese Seas|Fanny Loviot
Because, if we were all singing, madame, we should not have the pleasure of hearing mademoiselle.
Monsieur Cherami|Charles Paul de Kock
The cupboard was in an antechamber which served as the public passage by which the apartments of Madame were reached.
The Memoirs of Louis XIV., His Court and The Regency, Complete|Duc de Saint-Simon
Madame, however, paid but little heed to Kathleen; she was beside herself with rage.
The Crime Club|William Holt-White
I only say this, Madame Flamingo, to prove to you that Grouski is none of your mock articles.
An Outcast|F. Colburn Adams

British Dictionary definitions for madame

madame

/ (ˈmædəm, French madam) /

noun plural mesdames (ˈmeɪˌdæm, French medam)

a married Frenchwoman: usually used as a title equivalent to Mrs, and sometimes extended to older unmarried women to show respect and to women of other nationalities

Word Origin for madame

C17: from French. See madam

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 madame

madame

1590s, see madam, which is an earlier borrowing of the same French phrase. Originally a title of respect for a woman of rank, now given to any married woman. OED recommends madam as an English title, madame in reference to foreign women.