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Added 9 October 2026

lady

/ˈleɪ.di/ noun

In Latin: domina Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about lady at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

The mistress of a household.
A woman of breeding or higher class, a woman of authority.
"I would like the dining room to be fully set by tonight; would you do so?" "Yes, my lady."
A woman who behaves in a polite way.

verb

To address as “lady”.

Origin

From Middle English lady, laddy, lafdi, lavedi, from Old English hlǣfdīġe (“mistress of a household, wife of a lord, lady”, literally “bread-kneader”), from hlāf (“bread, loaf”) + dǣġe (“kneader”), related to Old English dǣġe (“maker of dough”) (whence dey (“dairymaid”)). Compare also lord. More at loaf, dairy, dough. Unrelated to lad.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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