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madam

 - 4 dictionary results

mad⋅am

  [mad-uhm]
Use madam in a Sentence
–noun, plural mes⋅dames  [mey-dam, -dahm] for 1; mad⋅ams for 2, 3.
1. (often initial capital letter) a polite term of address to a woman, originally used only to a woman of rank or authority: Madam President; May I help you, madam?
2. the woman in charge of a household: Is the madam at home?
3. the woman in charge of a house of prostitution.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME madame < OF, orig. ma dame my lady; see dame
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To madam
Mad·am   (mād'əm)   
n.   Abbr. Mdm.

  1. pl. Mes·dames (mā-dām', -däm') Used formerly as a courtesy title before a woman's given name but now used only before a surname or title indicating rank or office: Madam Ambassador.

  2. Used as a salutation in a letter: Dear Madam or Sir.

  3. madam Used as a form of polite address for a woman: Right this way, madam.

  4. madam The mistress of a household.

  5. madam A woman who manages a brothel. See Usage Note at mistress.


[Middle English madame, from Old French ma dame; see Madame.]
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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Slang Dictionary
madam

  1. n.
    the female keeper of a brothel. : The cops led the madam away, followed by a parade of you-know-whats.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

madam 
1297, from O.Fr. ma dame, lit. "my lady," from L. mea domina (cf. madonna). Meaning "female owner or manager of a brothel" is first attested 1871.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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