lady

lady
lady c.1200, lafdi, lavede, from O.E. hlæfdige "mistress of a household, wife of a lord," lit. "one who kneads bread," from hlaf "bread" (see LOAF (Cf. loaf)) + -dige "maid," related to dæge "maker of dough" (see DEY (Cf. dey) (1); also compare LORD (Cf. lord)). The medial -f- disappeared 14c. Not found outside English except where borrowed from it.
Sense of "woman of superior position in society" is c.1200; "woman whose manners and sensibilities befit her for high rank in society" is from 1861 (ladylike in this sense is from 1580s, and ladily from c.1400). Meaning "woman as an object of chivalrous love" is from early 14c. Used commonly as an address to any woman since 1890s. Applied in O.E. to the Holy Virgin, hence many extended usages in plant names, place names, etc., from gen. sing. hlæfdigan, which in M.E. merged with the nominative, so that lady- often represents (Our) Lady's; e.g. LADYBUG (Cf. ladybug). Ladies' man first recorded 1784. Lady of pleasure recorded from 1640s.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • lady — lady …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • lady — [ ledi ] n. f. • 1750; h. 1669; mot angl. « dame » 1 ♦ Titre donné aux femmes des lords et des chevaliers anglais. 2 ♦ Par ext. Dame anglaise. Une jeune lady. Des ladys ou des ladies. Femme élégante, distinguée. C est une vraie lady. ● lady,… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Lady — La dy (l[=a] d[y^]), n.; pl. {Ladies} (l[=a] d[i^]z). [OE. ladi, l[ae]fdi, AS. hl[=ae]fdige, hl[=ae]fdie; AS. hl[=a]f loaf + a root of uncertain origin, possibly akin to E. dairy. See {Loaf}, and cf. {Lord}.] [1913 Webster] 1. A woman who looks… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Lady!! — Lady Обложка первого тома Lady!!, переиздание 2001 года レディ!! Жанр историческая драма, романтика, повседневность …   Википедия

  • lady — lady, woman The division of usage between these two words is complex and is caught up in issues of social class. In George Meredith s Evan Harrington (1861), the heroine, Rose Jocelyn, is rhetorically asked, Would you rather be called a true… …   Modern English usage

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  • Lady Wu — (? 202) was the wife of Sun Jian during the Three Kingdoms era of China. She had six children: five sons, Sun Ce, Sun Quan, Sun Yi, Sun Kuang, Sun Lang and one daughter, Sun Shangxiang. Lady Wu lost her parents at a young age and was living with… …   Wikipedia

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  • lady — s.f. Titlu dat în Anglia soţiei unui lord sau a unui cavaler; p. ext. doamnă nobilă din Anglia. ♦ Epitet dat unei femei distinse, manierate. [pr.: lédi] – cuv. engl. Trimis de LauraGellner, 16.05.2004. Sursa: DEX 98  LADY s.f. (Anglicism) Doamnă …   Dicționar Român

  • lady — ► NOUN (pl. ladies) 1) (in polite or formal use) a woman. 2) a woman of superior social position. 3) (Lady) a title used by peeresses, female relatives of peers, the wives and widows of knights, etc. 4) a courteous or genteel woman. 5) (the Lad …   English terms dictionary

  • lady — [lād′ē] n. pl. ladies [ME lavedi < OE hlæfdige, lady, mistress < hlaf, LOAF1 + dige < dæge, (bread) kneader < IE base * dheig̑h : see DOUGH] 1. the mistress of a household: now obsolete except in the phrase the lady of the house 2. a… …   English World dictionary

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