madam
English · Thesaurus
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madam¹
- /ˈmædəm/
- [ˈmædəm] ~ [ˈmædm̩]
- /mɐˈdam/ Philippines, colloquial, nonstandard
- [mɐˈdam] Philippines, colloquial, nonstandard
- /ˈmeɪdəm/ obsolete
- [ˈmeɪdəm] obsolete
Rhymes with -ædəm
Where it comes from
From Middle English madame, from Old French madame, from ma (“my”) + dame (“lady”), from post-classical Latin mea domina. Doublet of Madonna.
noun madams · mesdames · madame
- 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, madam”.
- The mistress of a household.
- 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.
-
A woman who runs a brothel, particularly one that specializes in finding prostitutes for rich and important clients.
After she grew too old to work as a prostitute, she became a madam.
Similar: abbess, bawd, lady abbess, nookie-bookie, whoremistress, brothelkeeper
- A hated or contemptuous woman; used as a general term of abuse
verb madams · madaming · madamming · madamed · madammed
- To address as "madam". Madam me no Madam, but learn to retrench your vvords; and ſay Mam; as yes Mam, and no Mam, as other Ladies VVomen do. Madam! 'tis a year in pronouncing.
- To be a madam; to run (a brothel). The writer has never accepted the criterion “will it make money?” He has known that the application of such an irrelevancy to any of the arts and sciences resulted in sterility, error and waste. But what is more important, the writer will not pretend that this is not so. He will not pretend that the
Madam²
noun Madams · Mesdames
- Alternative letter-case form of madam The conſtant queſtion, upon her offering to ſtir abroad, was, where are you going Madam? To ſee the King my papa, replied the Princeſs. That cannot be Madam. No? why ſo? It is not the Etiquette. — And thus, if ſhe had a mind to viſit any of the Mesdames, the king’s ſiſters or aunts, ſhe was always t
- A polite form of address and title, abbreviated Mdm, used before a (usually middle-aged) adult or elderly woman's surname, full name or given name if she does not have a family name.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: madame, lady, gentlewoman, dame, brothel keeper, signora, matron, señora, mrs, missus, frau, mam, wife, woman, senora, mistress
Translations
Every language
noun polite term of address to a woman
| Español | señora |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 아씨 assi, 아가씨 agassi, 아줌마 ajumma |
| 日本語 | 奥様 okusama, 奥さん okusan |
| 中文 | 太太 tàitai, 女士 nǚshì, 夫人 fūrén |
| हिन्दी | महोदया mahodyā, साहिबा sāhibā, श्रीमती śrīmtī, बानू bānū |
| Português | madame, madama, senhora |
| Français | madame |
| Deutsch | Frau, Fräulein |
| Italiano | signora |
| Ελληνικά | κυρία kyría |
| Română | doamnă, madam |
| Русский | госпожа́ gospožá, мада́м madám, суда́рыня sudárynja, ба́рыня bárynja, да́ма dáma |
| Tiếng Việt | bà, chị, cô |
| العربية | سَيِّدَة sayyida, سَيِّدَتِي sayyidatī, أُسْتَاذَة ʔustāḏa, مَدَام madām |
| עברית | גברת \ גְבֶרֶת gvéret |
noun mistress of a household
| Português | madame, madama |
|---|---|
| Italiano | padrona di casa |
| Русский | хозя́йка xozjájka |
noun woman who manages a brothel
| Español | cabrona, mami |
|---|---|
| Português | cafetina |
| Français | mère maquerelle, maquerelle, tenancière, tenancière d’une maison close, souteneuse |
| Deutsch | Puffmutter, Bordellwirtin |
| Italiano | madama |
| Ελληνικά | τσατσά tsatsá, ματρώνα matróna, μαντάμ mantám |
Talk about this word "madam." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/madam. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. madam. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/madam "madam." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/madam.Cite this
@misc{madam_2026,
title = {madam},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/madam},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
