beldame

English

Etymology

From late Middle English (1400-1450) bel (“fine”) + dam (“mother”), from Old French bele (“beautiful”) + dame (“woman”).

Noun

beldame (plural beldames)

1. (obsolete) A grandmother.
2. (now archaic) An old woman, particularly an ugly one.
   • 1847, Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre:

     ... have a curiosity to hear my fortune told: therefore, Sam, order the beldame forward.

   • 1982, TC Boyle, Water Music, Penguin 2006, p. 6:

     Suddenly the beldam shrieks as if she's been stuck with a dagger, long rasping insuck of breath: ‘Eeeeeeeee!’

Synonyms

• (ugly woman): crone, hag, harridan
• See also Thesaurus:ugly person

References

• “beldame” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.

Anagrams

• embaled