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lady

 - 5 dictionary results

la⋅dy

  [ley-dee] noun, plural -dies, adjective
Use lady in a Sentence
–noun
1. a woman who is refined, polite, and well-spoken: She may be poor and have little education, but she's a real lady.
2. a woman of high social position or economic class: She was born a lady and found it hard to adjust to her reduced circumstances.
3. any woman; female (sometimes used in combination): the lady who answered the phone; a saleslady.
4. (Used in direct address: often offensive in the singular): Ladies and gentlemen, welcome. Lady, out of my way, please.
5. wife: The ambassador and his lady arrived late.
6. Slang. a female lover or steady companion.
7. (initial capital letter) (in Great Britain) the proper title of any woman whose husband is higher in rank than baronet or knight, or who is the daughter of a nobleman not lower than an earl (although the title is given by courtesy also to the wives of baronets and knights).
8. a woman who has proprietary rights or authority, as over a manor; female feudal superior. Compare lord (def. 4).
9. (initial capital letter) the Virgin Mary.
10. a woman who is the object of chivalrous devotion.
11. (usually initial capital letter)
a. an attribute or abstraction personified as a woman; a designation of an allegorical figure as feminine: Lady Fortune; Lady Virtue.
b. a title prefixed to the name of a goddess: Lady Venus.
–adjective
12. Sometimes Offensive. being a lady; female: a lady reporter.
13. of a lady; ladylike; feminine.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME ladi(e), earlier lavedi, OE hlǣfdīge, hlǣfdige, perh. orig. meaning “loaf-kneader,” equiv. to hlāf loaf + -dīge, -dige, var. of dǣge kneader (see dough; cf. ON deigja maid); see lord

Related forms:
la⋅dy⋅hood, noun
la⋅dy⋅ish, adjective
la⋅dy⋅ish⋅ly, adverb
la⋅dy⋅ish⋅ness, noun
la⋅dy⋅less, adjective

Usage note:
In the meanings “refined, polite woman” and “woman of high social position” the noun lady is the parallel of gentleman. As forms of address, both nouns are used in the plural (Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your cooperation), but only lady occurs in the singular. Except in chivalrous, literary, or similar contexts (Lady, spurn me not), this singular is now usually perceived as rude or at least insensitive: Where do you want the new air conditioner, lady? Although lady is still found in phrases or compounds referring to occupation or the like (cleaning lady; forelady; saleslady), this use seems to be diminishing. The use of lady as a modifier (lady doctor; lady artist) suggests that it is unusual to find a woman in the role specified. Many women are offended by this use, and it too is becoming less common.
An approach that is increasingly followed is to avoid specifying the sex of the performer or practitioner. Person or a sex-neutral term can be substituted for lady, as cleaner for cleaning lady, supervisor for forelady, and salesperson or salesclerk for saleslady. When circumstances make it relevant to specify sex, woman not lady is used, the parallel term being man: Men doctors outnumber women doctors on the hospital staff by more than three to one. See also -person, -woman.

Synonyms:
See woman.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To lady
la·dy   (lā'dē)   
n.   pl. la·dies

  1. A well-mannered and considerate woman with high standards of proper behavior.

    1. A woman regarded as proper and virtuous.

    2. A well-behaved young girl.

    3. A woman to whom a man is romantically attached.

    4. Informal A wife.

    5. Used as the title for the wife or widow of a knight or baronet.

    6. Used as a form of address for a marchioness, countess, viscountess, baroness, or baronetess.

    7. Used as a form of address for the wife or widow of a baron.

    8. Used as a courtesy title for the daughter of a duke, a marquis, or an earl.

    9. Used as a courtesy title for the wife of a younger son of a duke or marquis.

  3. A woman who is the head of a household.

  4. A woman, especially when spoken of or to in a polite way.

    1. A woman to whom a man is romantically attached.

    2. Informal A wife.

    3. Used as the title for the wife or widow of a knight or baronet.

    4. Used as a form of address for a marchioness, countess, viscountess, baroness, or baronetess.

    5. Used as a form of address for the wife or widow of a baron.

    6. Used as a courtesy title for the daughter of a duke, a marquis, or an earl.

    7. Used as a courtesy title for the wife of a younger son of a duke or marquis.

  6. Lady Chiefly British A general feminine title of nobility and other rank, specifically:

    1. Used as the title for the wife or widow of a knight or baronet.

    2. Used as a form of address for a marchioness, countess, viscountess, baroness, or baronetess.

    3. Used as a form of address for the wife or widow of a baron.

    4. Used as a courtesy title for the daughter of a duke, a marquis, or an earl.

    5. Used as a courtesy title for the wife of a younger son of a duke or marquis.

  7. Lady The Virgin Mary. Usually used with Our.

  8. Slang Cocaine.


[Middle English, mistress of a household, from Old English hlǣfdige; see dheigh- in Indo-European roots.]
Usage Note: Lady is normally used as a parallel to gentleman to emphasize norms expected in polite society or in situations requiring courtesies: Ladies and gentlemen, your attention please. I believe the lady in front of the counter was here before me. The attributive use of lady, as in lady doctor, is offensive and outdated. When the sex of the person is relevant, the preferred modifier is woman or female. Twice as many members of the Usage Panel in our 1994 survey preferred female and male to woman and man as modifiers in the sentence President Clinton interviewed both ______ and ______ candidates for the position of Attorney General.
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

lady 
M.E. lafdi, lavede, ladi, from O.E. hlæfdige "mistress of a household, wife of a lord," lit. "one who kneads bread," from hlaf "bread" (see loaf) + -dige "maid," related to dæge "maker of dough" (see dey (1); also compare lord). Not found outside Eng. except where borrowed from it. Sense of "woman of superior position in society" is c.1205; "woman whose manners and sensibilities befit her for high rank in society" is from 1861 (ladylike in this sense is from 1586). Meaning "woman as an object of chivalrous love" is from c.1374. Used commonly as an address to any woman since 1890s. Applied in O.E. to the Holy Virgin, hence many extended usages in plant names, etc., from gen. sing. hlæfdigan, which in M.E. merged with the nom., so that lady- often represents (Our) Lady's; e.g. ladybug (1699; cf. Ger. cognate Marienkäfer) which now is called ladybird beetle (1704) in Britain, through aversion to the word bug, which there has overtones of sodomy. Ladies' man first recorded 1784.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Computing Dictionary

LADY language
["Key Concepts in the INCAS Multicomputer Project", J. Nehmer et al IEEE Trans Soft Eng SE-13(8):913-923 (Aug 1987)].
(1996-06-21)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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Encyclopedia

lady

in the British Isles, a general title for any peeress below the rank of duchess and also for the wife of a baronet or of a knight. Before the Hanoverian succession, when the use of "princess" became settled practice, royal daughters were styled Lady Forename or the Lady Forename. "Lady" is ordinarily used as a less formal alternative to the full title of a countess, viscountess, or baroness; where the name is territorial, the "of " is dropped-thus the Vicountess of A. but Lady A. The daughters of dukes, marquesses, and earls also have, by courtesy, the title of lady prefixed to their forename and surname-e.g., Lady Jane Grey.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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