Added 4 October 2026
dame
/deɪm/ noun
Latin root: domina Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about dame at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
-
Usually capitalized as Dame: a title equivalent to Sir for a female knight.
Dame Edith Sitwell
- A matron at a school, especially Eton College.
- In traditional pantomime: a melodramatic female often played by a man in drag.
verb
- To make a dame.
Origin
From Middle English dame, dam (“noble lady”), from Old French dame (“lady; term of address for a woman; the queen in card games and chess”), from Latin domina (“mistress of the house”), feminine form of dominus (“lord, master, ruler; owner of a residence”), or from Latin domus (“home, house”). Doublet of domina and donna.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)