dame

[deym] /deɪm/
noun
1.
(initial capital letter)
  1. the official title of a female member of the Order of the British Empire, equivalent to that of a knight.
  2. the official title of the wife of a knight or baronet.
2.
(formerly) a form of address to any woman of rank or authority.
3.
a matronly woman of advanced age; matron.
4.
Slang: Sometimes Offensive. a term used to refer to a woman:
Some dame cut me off and almost caused an accident.
5.
Ecclesiastical. a title of a nun in certain orders.
6.
a mistress of a dame-school.
7.
Archaic. the mistress of a household.
8.
Archaic. a woman of rank or authority, especially a female ruler.
Origin
1175-1225; Middle English < Old French < Latin domina, feminine of dominus lord, master
Usage note
Dame is sometimes perceived as insulting when used to refer generally to a woman, unless it is a woman of rank or advanced age.
Examples from the web for dame
  • Then the house-dame brought wheaten bread and many dainties.
  • Val's looking for work and meets both a dame and his doom.
  • In the makeover, the grande dame has even acquired a sense of humor.
  • It may be a refueling, and she'll go down the route of the great grande-dame roles.
  • There's a certain irresistibility to the grande dame of film portraying the grande dame of fashion.
British Dictionary definitions for dame

dame

/deɪm/
noun
1.
(formerly) a woman of rank or dignity; lady
2.
a nun who has taken the vows of her order, esp a Benedictine
3.
(archaic, mainly Brit) a matronly or elderly woman
4.
(slang, mainly US & Canadian) a woman
5.
(Brit) Also called pantomime dame. the role of a comic old woman in a pantomime, usually played by a man
Word Origin
C13: from Old French, from Latin domina lady, mistress of a household

Dame

/deɪm/
noun (in Britain)
1.
the title of a woman who has been awarded the Order of the British Empire or any of certain other orders of chivalry
2.
the legal title of the wife or widow of a knight or baronet, placed before her name: Dame Judith Compare Lady
Word Origin and History for dame
n.

early 13c., from Old French dame "lady, mistress, wife," from Late Latin domna, from Latin domina "lady, mistress of the house," from Latin domus "house" (see domestic). Legal title for the wife of a knight or baronet. Slang sense of "woman" first attested 1902 in American English.