Madam
Pronunciation
- IPA: /ˈmæd.əm/
Origin
From Old French madame, from ma ‘my’ + dame ‘lady’, from post-classical Latin mea domina.
Noun
- A polite form of address for a woman or lady.''Mrs Grey wondered if the outfit she was trying on made her look fat. The sales assistant just said, “It suits you, madamâ€.''Later, Mrs Grey was sitting in her favourite tea shop. “Would madam like the usual cream cakes and patisserie with her tea?†the waitress asked.
- The mistress of a household.
- (colloquial) A conceited or quarrelsome girl.''Selina kept pushing and shoving during musical chairs. The nursery school teacher said she was a bad-tempered little madam.
- (slang) A woman who runs a brothel.After she grew too old to work as a prostitute, she became a madam.