Quantcast
 
Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web

ma'am

 - 3 dictionary results

ma'am

[mam, mahm; unstressed muhm]
–noun
1. madam (def. 1).
2. (in Britain) a term used in addressing the queen or a royal princess.

Origin:
1660–70; by contr.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
Cite This Source Link To ma'am
ma'am   (mām)   
n.  Used as a form of polite address for a woman: Will that be cash or charge, ma'am?
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

ma''am 
1668, colloquial shortening of madam (q.v.). Formerly the ordinary respectful form of address to a married woman; later restricted to the queen, royal princesses, or by servants to their mistresses.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see ma'am on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: