madam

CEFRB1

/ˈmædəm/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A polite way to address a woman.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A conceited or quarrelsome girl.

Examples

  • Didn't madam Rodriguez want to see my essay?

  • We must find the money, Madam Chairman, for the sake of the children.

At a glance

Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • [ˈmædəm] ~ [ˈmædm̩]
  • /ˈmeɪdəm/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. The mistress of a household.

  2. A polite form of address for a woman or lady.

  3. A woman who runs a brothel, particularly one that specializes in finding prostitutes for rich and important clients.

More examples

In context

  • May I take your size, madam?

  • Mrs Grey wondered if the outfit she was trying on made her look fat. The sales assistant just said, “It suits you, madam”.

  • Selina kept pushing and shoving during musical chairs. The nursery school teacher said she was a bad-tempered little madam.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The formal letter began with 'Dear blank,' because the recipient was a married woman.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Middle English madame, from Old French madame, from ma (“my”) + dame (“lady”), from post-classical Latin mea domina. Doublet of Madonna.