beldam

[ bel-duhm, -dam ]
See synonyms for beldam on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. an old woman, especially an ugly one; hag.

  2. Obsolete. grandmother.

Origin of beldam

1
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, equivalent to bel- “grand-” (from Middle French bel, belle “fine, good-looking”) + dam “mother”; see beau, belle, dam2
  • Also bel·dame [bel-duhm, -deym]. /ˈbɛl dəm, -ˌdeɪm/.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use beldam in a sentence

  • And really she was an awfully nice, capable, human old woman: and I had thought her a beldame when I saw her ironing.

    Sea and Sardinia | D. H. Lawrence
  • But no single syllable would the old beldame now utter against her ancient mistress.

    Red Cap Tales | Samuel Rutherford Crockett
  • And to the horror of Erminie, he grasped the cloak and tore it off, in spite of the vigorous struggles of the beldame.

    The Gypsy Queen's Vow | May Agnes Fleming
  • And at that the beldame laughed very violently and said, "Yea, that is true."

  • And they whispered to the old beldame, saying, "Who is yonder man, and what doth he here?"

British Dictionary definitions for beldam

beldam

beldame

/ (ˈbɛldəm) /


noun
  1. archaic an old woman, esp an ugly or malicious one; hag

  2. an obsolete word for grandmother

Origin of beldam

1
C15: from bel- grand (as in grandmother), from Old French bel beautiful, from Latin bellus + dam mother, variant of dame

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