lady

noun

1. (historical)The mistress of a household.
2. A woman of breeding or higher class, a woman of authority.

   “"I would like the dining room to be fully set by tonight; would you do so?" "Yes, my lady."”

   “‘[…] I remember a lady coming to inspect St. Mary's Home where I was brought up and seeing us all in our lovely Elizabethan uniforms we were so proud of, and bursting into tears all over us because “it was wicked to dress us like charity children”.[…]’.”

3. The feminine of lord, a lordess.

   “Of all theſe bounds euen from this Line, to this, / With ſhadowie Forreſts, and with Champains rich’d / With plenteous Riuers, and wide-ſkirted Meades / We make thee Lady.”

   “’T was the proudest hall in the North Countree, And never its gates might opened be, Save to lord or lady of high decree[…]”

4. A title for someone married to a lord or gentleman.
5. A title that can be used instead of the formal terms of marchioness, countess, viscountess, or baroness.
6. (polite)A woman: an adult female human.

   “Please direct this lady to the soft furnishings department.”

7. (in-plural)A polite reference or form of address to women.

   “Ladies and gentlemen, it is a pleasure to be here today. Follow me, ladies!”

   “The Celebrity, by arts unknown, induced Mrs. Judge Short and two other ladies to call at Mohair on a certain afternoon when Mr. Cooke was trying a trotter on the track. The three returned wondering and charmed with Mrs. Cooke; they were sure she had had no hand in the furnishing of that atrocious house.”

8. (slang)Used to address a female.

   “Hey, lady, move your car!”

   “Hey, ladies, how are you doing?”

9. (informal)A wife or girlfriend; a sweetheart.

   “It is my Lady, O it is my Loue, O that ſhe knew ſhe were, She ſpeakes, yet ſhe ſayes nothing, what of that?”

   “But nothing could now exceed my confusion upon seeing the gentleman and his lady enter”

10. A woman to whom the particular homage of a knight was paid; a woman to whom one is devoted or bound.

    “The ſoldier here his waſted ſtore ſupplies, And takes new valor from the Ladies’ eyes.”

11. (slang)A queen (the playing card).
12. (attributive)Who is a woman.

    “A lady doctor.”

    “The recent disclosures caused one headmistress of a city college to arrange for sex instructions to be given by a lady doctor to various forms.”

13. (alt-of, alternative)Alternative form of Lady.
14. (archaic)gastric mill, the triturating apparatus in the stomach of a lobster, consisting of calcareous plates; so called from a fancied resemblance to a seated female figure.
15. (UK, slang)A five-pound note. (Rhyming slang, Lady Godiva for fiver.)
16. (in-plural, slang)A woman’s breast.
17. (rare, slang)A queen.
18. An aristocratic title for a woman.

    “Honor guests were Ladies Smith and Walker of Port Huron, Michigan. Lady Walker has been a Maccabee for 40 years.”

19. An aristocratic title for a woman.

    “Would Lady Macbeth care for dessert?”

    “How do you do, Lady Windermere?”

20. An aristocratic title for a woman.

    “Sir John Smith and Lady Smith accompanied the ambassador.”

    “Lady Russell was most anxiously zealous on the subject, and gave it much serious consideration. […] Herself, the widow of only a knight, she gave the dignity of a baronet all its due;”

21. An aristocratic title for a woman.

    “He would feel that the mere idea of hearing a butler announce ‘Chief-Detective-Inspector and Lady Mary Parker’ would have something shocking about it.”

22. An aristocratic title for a woman.

    “”[…] Excuse me, mum, wot might your married name be?” ”Lady Peter Wimsey,” said Harriet, feeling not at all sure that it was her name.”

23. A high priestess.

verb

1. To address as “lady”.

   ““[…]When I am dead ye’ll mind I said it, my leddy.” “Ah, Elspeth, but do not lady me; say Christine, just wee Christine.[…]””

   ““I thought you would never come, Lady Mary,” and he kissed her again. “Why will you persist in ladying me? Have I not told you—stop, now, will you?” and she pushed his mouth away. “Have I not told you as many times as you have seen me to call me Mary only?””

   “I see Bey still continues jealous of poor Mou; does she still go by that name? In Greek it means “my” and her Paramanas always called her Lady Mary Mou, so we called her Mou. I hope you admire my teaching you Greek. I beg you will break Bruce of ladying her, if it should grow up with him it would be detestable.”

   “‘Then, Lady Placida, there is something I wish to ask of you.’ ‘Only,’ she said sternly, ‘if you stop Ladying me. I have a name, dear.’”

   ““Lady!” “No, do not ‘lady’ me!” Margaret admonished.”

name

1. The title for the (primary) female deity in female-centered religions.

   “My Lady, will you not take pity on me?”

2. The title for the (primary) female deity in female-centered religions.

   “...different stages of life as represented by our Lady as Maiden, Mother, and Crone, as well as our Lord as Master, Father, and Sage.”

   “The Lord and the Lady Actually, when I say that Wicca is a Goddess tradition, I'm really only telling half of the story.”

   “The Lady is often thought of as having three aspects: Maiden, Mother, and Crone.”