lady
lady [lady ladies] BrE [ˈleɪdi] NAmE [ˈleɪdi] (pl. ladies) noun
1. countable a word used to mean ‘woman’ that some people, especially older people, consider is more polite
• There's a lady waiting to see you.
• He was with an attractive young lady.
•the ladies' golf championship
• (BrE)a tea lady (= a woman who serves tea in an office)
• (NAmE, approving)She's a tough lady.
•a lady doctor/golfer Some women object to the way lady is used in some of these examples and prefer it to be avoided if possible
•a doctor/a woman doctor
•There's someone waiting to see you.
see also ↑bag lady, ↑cleaning lady, ↑dinner lady, ↑First Lady, ↑leading lady, ↑lunch lady, ↑old lady
2. countable a woman who is polite and well educated, has excellent manners and always behaves well
• His wife was a real lady.
compare ↑gentleman
3. countable, usually plural (formal)used when speaking to or about a girl or woman, especially sb you do not know
• Can I take your coats, ladies?
• Could I have your attention, ladies and gentlemen? Some women do not like ladies used on its own, as in the first example, and prefer it to be left out.
4. singular (especially NAmE)an informal way to talk to a woman, showing a lack of respect
•Listen, lady, don't shout at me.
5. countable (old-fashioned)(in Britain) a woman belonging to a high social class
•the lords and ladies of the court
•a lady's maid
6. Ladycountable (in Britain) a title used by a woman who is a member of the ↑nobility, or by sb who has been given the title ‘lady ’ as an honour. The wives and daughters of some members of the ↑nobility and the wives of ↑knights are also called ‘Lady ’
•Lady Howe
•Lady Jane Grey
compare Lord, Sir
7. a/the ladiesuncountable (BrE) (NAmE ˈladies' room countable)a toilet/bathroom for women in a public building or place
•Could you tell me where the ladies is?
8. Our Ladya title used to refer to Mary, the mother of Christ, especially in the Roman Catholic Church
•Our Lady of Lourdes
see it's not over until the fat lady sings at ↑fat adj., a gentleman/lady of leisure at ↑leisure
Word Origin:
Old English hlǣfdīge (denoting a woman to whom homage or obedience is due, such as the wife of a lord, also specifically the Virgin Mary), from hlāf ‘loaf’ + a Germanic base meaning ‘knead’, related to ↑dough; compare with ↑lord.
Thesaurus:
lady noun C
•There's a lady at the door.
woman • |formal female •
Opp: gentleman
a/an young/older/black/white lady/woman/female
a/an middle-aged/old/elderly lady/woman
a/an married/single/unmarried lady/woman
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