Adjacent Words

Dame definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

DAME, n. [Gr., to subdue] Literally, a mistress; hence, a lady; a title of honor to a woman. It is now generally applied to the mistress of a family in the common ranks of life; as is its compound, madam. In poetry, it is applied to a woman of rank, In short, it is applied with propriety to any woman who is or has been the mistress of a family, and it sometimes comprehends women in general.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: informal terms for a (young) woman [syn: dame, doll, wench, skirt, chick, bird]
2: a woman of refinement; "a chauffeur opened the door of the limousine for the grand lady" [syn: dame, madam, ma'am, lady, gentlewoman]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin domina, feminine of dominus master; akin to Latin domus house — more at dome Date: 13th century 1. a woman of rank, station, or authority: as a. archaic the mistress of a household b. the wife or daughter of a lord c. a female member of an order of knighthood — used as a title prefixed to the given name 2. a. an elderly woman b. woman

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 (Dame) a (in the UK) the title given to a woman with the rank of Knight Commander or holder of the Grand Cross in the Orders of Chivalry. b a woman holding this title. 2 Brit. a comic middle-aged woman in modern pantomime, usu. played by a man. 3 archaic a mature woman. 4 US sl. a woman. Phrases and idioms: dame-school hist. a primary school kept by an elderly woman. Etymology: ME f. OF f. L domina mistress

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Dame Dame (d[=a]m), n. [F. dame, LL. domna, fr. L. domina mistress, lady, fem. of dominus master, ruler, lord; akin to domare to tame, subdue. See Tame, and cf. Dam a mother, Dan, Danger, Dungeon, Dominie, Don, n., Duenna.] 1. A mistress of a family, who is a lady; a woman in authority; especially, a lady. Then shall these lords do vex me half so much, As that proud dame, the lord protector's wife. --Shak. 2. The mistress of a family in common life, or the mistress of a common school; as, a dame's school. In the dame's classes at the village school. --Emerson. 3. A woman in general, esp. an elderly woman. 4. A mother; -- applied to human beings and quadrupeds. [Obs.] --Chaucer.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(dames) 1. Dame is a title given to a woman as a special honour because of important service or work that she has done. (BRIT) ...Dame Judi Dench. N-TITLE 2. A dame is a woman. This use could cause offence. (AM INFORMAL, OLD-FASHIONED) Who does that dame think she is? N-COUNT

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Mistress, matron, lady, madam.

Moby Thesaurus

Eve, Frau, Fraulein, Jane, Miss, Mistress, Mlle, Mme, Mmes, abbess, archduchess, babe, baby, baroness, beldam, biddy, bird, bitch, broad, chatelaine, chick, colleen, countess, crone, cutie, damoiselle, damsel, daughter of Eve, demoiselle, distaff, doll, domina, dona, donna, dowager, duchess, duenna, educatress, femme, filly, first lady, frail, frow, frump, gal, gentlewoman, girl, girlie, goodwife, governess, grand duchess, grandam, grandmother, granny, great lady, hag, heifer, hen, homemaker, housewife, hoyden, instructress, jeune fille, jill, junior miss, khanum, lady, lass, lassie, little missy, madam, madame, mademoiselle, maid, maiden, marchioness, margravine, matriarch, matron, mem-sahib, mesdames, milady, minx, miss, missy, mistress, mother superior, noblewoman, nymphet, old battle-ax, old dame, old girl, old granny, old lady, old trot, old wife, old woman, peeress, piece, romp, schooldame, schoolgirl, schoolmaid, schoolmarm, schoolmiss, schoolmistress, senhora, senhorita, signora, signorina, skirt, slip, squaw, subdeb, subdebutante, subteen, subteener, teenybopper, tomato, tomboy, trot, tutoress, virgin, viscountess, vrouw, wahine, war-horse, weaker vessel, wench, witch, woman, young creature, young thing