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Madame

 - 3 dictionary results

mad⋅ame

  [muh-dam, -dahm, ma-; mad-uhm; Fr. ma-dam]
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–noun, plural mes⋅dames  [mey-dam, -dahm; Fr. mey-dam] . (often initial capital letter)
1. a French title of respect equivalent to “Mrs.”, used alone or prefixed to a woman's married name or title: Madame Curie.
2. (in English) a title of respect used in speaking to or of an older woman, esp. one of distinction, who is not of American or British origin. Abbreviation: Mme.
Origin:
1590–1600; < F; see madam
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Ma·dame   (mə-dām', mād'əm)   
n.   pl. Mes·dames (mā-dām', -däm') Abbr. Mme.

  1. Used as a courtesy title before the surname or full name of a woman, especially a married woman, in a French-speaking area: Madame Cartier; Madame Jacqueline Cartier.

  2. madame Used as a form of polite address for a woman in a French-speaking area.


[French, from Old French ma dame : ma, my (from Latin mea, feminine of meus; see me-1 in Indo-European roots) + dame, lady (from Latin domina, feminine of dominus, lord, master of a household; see dem- in Indo-European roots).]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

madame 
1599, see madam, which is an earlier borrowing of the same Fr. phrase. Originally a title of respect for a woman of rank, now given to any married woman. OED recommends madam as an Eng. title, madame in ref. to foreign women.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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