Lady
/ˈleɪ.di/noun
A woman of high social rank or a polite term for a woman.
Did you know?The word comes from Old English hlǣfdige, literally “bread-kneader,” paired with lord from hlāford, “loaf-keeper,” showing how power titles grew out of household food and control.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
hlǣfdige
“a woman of high rank; literally, the keeper or kneader of bread”
Early Old English
Germanic
*hlaib-
“loaf, bread”
Old English
OE
hlāfweard
“loaf-ward, a lord or master who guards the bread”
Middle English
ME
lady
“a woman of superior position; later, a polite term for a woman”
Modern English
English
lady
“a woman of high social rank or a polite term for a woman”