LADY (0. Eng. hlaefdige, Mid. Eng. ldfdi, lavedi; the first part of the word is hldf, loaf, bread, as in the corresponding hldford, lord; the second part is usually taken to be from the root dig-, to knead, seen also in " dough "; the sense development fr

This article appears in Volume V16, Page 62 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: KRO-LAP

LADY (0. Eng. hlaefdige, Mid. Eng. ldfdi, lavedi; the first part of the word is hldf, loaf, bread, as in the corresponding hldford, lord; the second part is usually taken to be from the root dig-, to knead, seen also in " dough "; the sense development fr om bread-kneader, bread-maker, to the

ordinary

ORDINARY (med. Lat. ordinarius, Fr. ordinaire)

meaning, though not clearly to be traced historically, may be illustrated by that of " lord "), a

term

TERM

of which the main applications are two, (1) as the correlative of " lord " (q.v.) in certain of the usages of that word, (2) as the correlative of "

gentleman

GENTLEMAN (from Lat. gentilis, " belonging to a race or gens," and " man "; Fr. gentilhomme, Span. gentil hombre, Ital. gentil huomo, in its
original
- ORIGINAL
and strict signification, a
term
- TERM
denoting a man of good family, the Lat. generosus (its invariable transl

" (q.v.). The

primary

PRIMARY

meaning of mistress of a

household

HOUSEHOLD, ROYAL

is, if not obsolete, in present usage only a vulgarism. The

special

SPECIAL

use of the word as a title of the Virgin

Mary

, usually " Our Lady," represents the Lat. Domina Nostra. In Lady Day and Lady Chapel the word is properly a genitive, representing the O. Eng. hlaefdigan. As a title of

nobility

NOBILITY

the uses of " lady " are mainly paralleled by those of " lord." It is thus a less formal alternative to the full title giving the specific rank, of marchioness, countess, viscountess or baroness, whether as the title of the husband's rank by right or courtesy, or as the lady's title in her own right. In the case of the younger sons of a duke or marquess, who by courtesy have lord prefixed to their Christian and family name, the wife is known by the husband's Christian and family name with Lady prefixed, e.g. Lady John B.; the daughters of dukes, marquesses and earls are by courtesy Ladies; here that title is prefixed to the Christian and family name of the lady, e.g. Lady

Mary

B., and this is preserved if the lady marry a commoner, e.g. Mr and Lady Mary C. " Lady " is also the customary title of the wife of a

baronet

BARONET

or knight; the proper title, now only used in legal documents or on sepulchral monuments, is " dame " (q.v.) ; in the latter case the usage is to prefix Dame to the Christian name of the wife followed by the surname of the husband, thus Dame Eleanor B., but in the former, Lady with the surname of the husband only, Sir A. and Lady B. During the 15th and 16th centuries " princesses " or daughters of the blood royal were usually known by their Christian names with "the Lady " prefixed, e.g. the Lady Elizabeth.
While " lord " has retained its

original

ORIGINAL

application as a title of

nobility

NOBILITY

or rank without extension, an example which has been followed in Spanish usage by " don," " lady " has been extended in meaning Jo be the feminine correlative of "

gentleman

GENTLEMAN (from Lat. gentilis, " belonging to a race or gens," and " man "; Fr. gentilhomme, Span. gentil hombre, Ital. gentil huomo, in its original and strict signification, a term denoting a man of good family, the Lat. generosus (its invariable transl

" throughout its sense developments, and in this is paralleled by Dame in German, madame in French, donna in Spanish, &c. It is the general word for any woman of a certain social position (see GENTLEMAN).

End of Article: LADY (0. Eng. hlaefdige, Mid. Eng. ldfdi, lavedi; the first part of the word is hldf, loaf, bread, as in the corresponding hldford, lord; the second part is usually taken to be from the root dig-, to knead, seen also in " dough "; the sense development fr

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