dame

[deym]
noun
1.
( initial capital letter )
a.
the official title of a female member of the Order of the British Empire, equivalent to that of a knight.
b.
the official title of the wife of a knight or baronet.
2.
(formerly) a form of address to any woman of rank or authority.
3.
a matronly woman of advanced age; matron.
4.
Slang: Sometimes Offensive. a woman; female.
5.
Ecclesiastical. a title of a nun in certain orders.
6.
a mistress of a dame-school.
7.
Archaic. the mistress of a household.
8.
Archaic. a woman of rank or authority, especially a female ruler.

Origin:
1175–1225; Middle English < Old French < Latin domina, feminine of dominus lord, master

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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00:10
Dame is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
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World English Dictionary
dame (deɪm) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  (formerly) a woman of rank or dignity; lady
2.  a nun who has taken the vows of her order, esp a Benedictine
3.  archaic chiefly (Brit) a matronly or elderly woman
4.  slang chiefly (US), (Canadian) a woman
5.  (Brit) Also called: pantomime dame the role of a comic old woman in a pantomime, usually played by a man
 
[C13: from Old French, from Latin domina lady, mistress of a household]

Dame (deɪm) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  the title of a woman who has been awarded the Order of the British Empire or any of certain other orders of chivalry
2.  Compare Lady the legal title of the wife or widow of a knight or baronet, placed before her name: Dame Judith

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

dame
early 13c., from O.Fr. dame, from L.L. domna, from L. domina "lady, mistress of the house," from L. domus "house" (see domestic). Legal title for the wife of a knight or baronet. Slang sense of "woman" first attested 1902 in Amer.Eng.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
It may be a refueling, and she'll go down the route of the great grande-dame roles.
Then the house-dame brought wheaten bread and many dainties.
In the makeover, the grande dame has even acquired a sense of humor.
There's a certain irresistibility to the grande dame of film portraying the grande dame of fashion.
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