Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Used formerly as a courtesy title for a woman in authority or a mistress of a household.
- noun A married woman; a matron.
- noun An elderly woman.
- noun Often Offensive Slang A woman.
- noun A woman holding a nonhereditary title conferred by a sovereign in recognition of personal merit or service to the country.
- noun The wife or widow of a knight.
- noun Used as the title for such a woman.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A mother.
- noun A dam: said of beasts.
- noun A woman of rank, high social position, or culture; a lady; specifically, in Great Britain, the legal title of the wife or widow of a knight or baronet.
- noun A woman in general; particularly, a woman of mature years, a married woman, or the mistress of a household: formerly often used (like the modern Mrs.) as a title, before either the surname or the Christian name.
- noun The mistress of an elementary school.
- noun In Eton, England, a woman with whom the boys board, and who has a certain care over them; sometimes, also, a man who occupies the same position.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A mistress of a family, who is a lady; a woman in authority; especially, a lady.
- noun The mistress of a family in common life, or the mistress of a common school.
- noun A woman in general, esp. an elderly woman.
- noun obsolete A mother; -- applied to human beings and quadrupeds.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun UK The
equivalent title toSir for a femaleknight . - noun informal Slightly
derogatory way of referring to a woman. - noun archaic
Lady , woman.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun informal terms for a (young) woman
- noun a woman of refinement
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word dame.
Examples
-
He accepted this alms, and was rejoiced that he was faithful to the last to poverty, which he called his dame and his mistress; then raising his hands to heaven, he gave glory to our Lord Jesus
-
He accepted this alms, and was rejoiced that he was faithful to the last to poverty, which he called his dame and his mistress; then raising his hands to heaven, he gave glory to our Lord Jesus Christ, that, being disengaged and free from everything, he was about to go to Him.
-
Chess-players may have borrowed the word dame from the game of draughts.
-
In the animal wing a strange-looking dame is down at the end, talking to a sleepy tiger.
-
Wrongly am I called dame; but I know well that he who calls me dame knows not that I am a maid.
-
Moved out of herself by the nearness of death, the titled dame had reverted to childish days, speaking her thoughts aloud.
-
My grand-dame is sharp of hearing and light of slumber.
-
The yeoman-keeper, therefore, our friend Joceline, had constructed, for his own accommodation, and that of the old woman he called his dame, a wattled hut, such as his own labour, with that of a neighbour or two, had erected in the course of a few days.
-
The yeoman-keeper, therefore, our friend Joceline, had constructed, for his own accommodation, and that of the old woman he called his dame, a wattled hut, such as his own labour, with that of a neighbour or two, had erected in the course of a few days.
-
From the reign of Robert, the son of Hugh Capet, the barons of Courtenay are conspicuous among the immediate vassals of the crown; and Joscelin, the grandson of Atho and a noble dame, is enrolled among the heroes of the first crusade.
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.