Lady

See also lady

English

Noun

Lady

1. An aristocratic title for a woman; the wife of a lord and/or a woman who holds the position in her own right; a title for a peeress, the wife of a peer or knight, and the daughters and daughters-in-law of certain peers.

   Sir John Smith and Lady Smith.

   Would Lady Macbeth care for dessert?

   • 1893, Oscar Wilde, Lady Windermere's Fan i 1

     How do you do, Lady Windermere?

2. (UK, birdwatching) Lady Amherst's pheasant.
3. (Wicca) A high priestess

Translations

aristocratic title for a woman

• Breton: Itron
• Esperanto: Damo (eo)
• French: Dame (fr), Madame (fr)
• German: Frau (de), Herrin (de), Dame (de)
• Irish: Bantiarna (ga)
• Italian: Signora (it)
• Latin: Domina (la)
• Macedonian: дама (mk) (dáma) f, леди (mk) (lédi) f

• Maltese: Sinjura
• Persian: بانو (fa) (bānu)
• Polish: Pani
• Portuguese: Senhora
• Scottish Gaelic: A' Bhean-uasal, Baintighearna
• Spanish: Señora (es)
• Turkish: Leydi (tr)
• Welsh: Arglwyddes, Boneddiges, Bonesig

Proper noun

Lady

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

   My Lady, will you not take pity on me?

2. (in particular) The major supernatural figurehead in the Wiccan religion, a triune goddess split into the Mother, Maiden, and Crone.
   • 2002, A.J. Drew, Wicca for Couples: Making Magick Together, page 90

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

   • 2003, Carl McColman, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Paganism, page 46

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

   • 2004, Aurora Greenbough, Cathy Jewell, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Spells and Spellcraft, page 9

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

Synonyms

• (religious senses): Goddess

Antonyms

• (Wicca): Lord, Horned God, God

Coordinate terms

• (Wicca): Lord

See also

• Lord