Lady

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Ladies
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"My Lady" redirects here. For other uses, see Milady (disambiguation) and Lady (disambiguation).
"Gentlelady" redirects here; not to be confused with Gentlewoman.

Lady is a term for a woman who behaves in a polite way.[1] Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the female counterpart of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men.

"Lady" is also a formal

feudal baron, laird, or a knight, and also before the first name of the daughter of a duke, marquess, or earl
.

Etymology

The word comes from

Old English hlǣfdige; the first part of the word is a mutated form of hlāf, "loaf, bread", also seen in the corresponding hlāford, "lord". The second part is usually taken to be from the root dig-, "to knead", seen also in dough; the sense development from bread-kneader, or bread-maker, or bread-shaper, to the ordinary meaning, though not clearly to be traced historically, may be illustrated by that of "lord".[2][3]

Usage

Tate Gallery
, London, England)

The primary meaning of "mistress of a household" is now mostly obsolete,

first lady and lady mayoress
, the wives of elected or appointed officials.

In many

mister" for an unknown male: e.g., "Hey, lady, you aren't allowed in here!"[5] In this usage, the word "lady" is very seldom capitalized when written. The usual English term for politely addressing a woman is madam
or its abbreviation ma'am.

In English, relatively few

cleaning ladies in private homes and in business premises, and healthcare ladies for female healthcare assistants
.

Both British and American commentators noted the shifting uses of "lady" in the mid-twentieth century. The American journalist

vagabond) is a euphemism for a woman who has fallen on hard times; a "lady of the night" is a polite term for a prostitute
.

In British English, "lady" is often, but not always, simply a courteous synonym for "woman". Public toilets are often distinguished by signs showing simply "Ladies" or "Gentlemen". "Lady" can have a formal and respectful quality, being used to describe an elderly woman as "an old lady" or when speaking about a woman to a child (e.g. "Give the money to the lady.") It remains in use as a counterpart to "gentleman", in the plural phrase "ladies and gentlemen", and is generally interchangeable (in a strictly informal sense) with "woman" (as in, "The lady at the store said I could return this item within thirty days"). However, some women, since the rise of second-wave feminism, have objected to the term used in contexts such as the last example, arguing that the term sounds patronising and outdated when used in this way; a man in the same context would not necessarily be referred to as a "gentleman". One feminist proponent of language reform, Robin Lakoff, in her book Language and Woman's Place (1975), notably raised the issue of the ways in which "lady" is not used as the counterpart of "gentleman". It is suggested by academic Elizabeth Reid Boyd that feminist usage of the word "lady" has been reclaimed in the 21st century.[6]

British titles

Formally, "Lady" is the female counterpart to

higher ranks in society, from gentlemen, through knights, to peers of the realm. During the Middle Ages, princesses or daughters of the blood royal were usually known by their first names with "Lady" prefixed, e.g. The Lady Elizabeth;[3] since Old English and Middle English did not have a female equivalent to princes or earls
or other royals or nobles. Aside from the queen, women of royal and noble status simply carried the title of "Lady".

As a title of nobility, the uses of "lady" in Britain are parallel to those of "lord". It is thus a less formal alternative to the full title giving the specific rank, of

definite article: Lord Morris's wife is "the Lady Morris". A widow's title derived from her husband becomes the dowager
, e.g. The Dowager Lady Smith. In the case of an heir apparent to a peerage using one of his father's subsidiary titles by courtesy, his wife uses his courtesy title in the same way as the wife of a substantive peer, except that the definite article is not used.

The title "Lady" is also used for a woman who is the wife of a Scottish

feudal baron or laird, the title "Lady" preceding the name of the barony or lairdship.[7] In the case of younger sons of a duke or marquess, who have the courtesy title "Lord" prefixed to their given and family name, the wife may use "Lady" prefixed to the husband's given and family names, e.g. Lady John Smith.[3]
However, she may not use "Lady" prefixed to her husband's surname alone. Neither may she use the title prefixed to her own given name unless entitled to do so by her own birth as the daughter of an earl, marquess or duke.

The daughters of dukes, marquesses and earls are by courtesy "ladies"; here, that title is prefixed to the given and family name of the lady, e.g. Lady Jane Smith, and this is preserved if the lady marries a commoner, e.g. Mr John and Lady Jane Smith. "Lady" is also the customary title of the wife of a baronet or knight, but in this case without Christian name: "Lady" with the surname of the husband only,[3] Sir John and Lady Smith. When a woman divorces a knight and he marries again, the new wife will be Lady Smith while the ex-wife becomes Jane, Lady Smith until either her own death or until she remarries.[8] Widows and former wives of knights retain their married style until their death or they remarry.[9] She is also never addressed as "Lady Jane Smith".[10]

Female members of the

post nominal LG or LT, respectively, and this is preserved if the lady marries.[citation needed
]

Other meanings

The special use of the word as a

Lady Chapel, the word is properly a genitive, representing hlǣfdigan[3]
"of the Lady".

The word is also used as a title of the Wiccan Goddess, The Lady.

Margaret Thatcher was informally referred to in the same way by many of her political colleagues when Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Her husband was later created a baronet, thus making her "Lady Thatcher" as of right. After she retired, she was given a barony as Baroness Thatcher, of Kesteven in the County of Lincolnshire, and was thereafter known as "The Lady Thatcher".

Elsewhere in the

Ashanti people is known as Lady Julia Osei Tutu. In Nigeria, the Yoruba aristocrats Kofoworola, Lady Ademola and Oyinkansola, Lady Abayomi
made use of the title due to their being the wives of British knights.

See also

References

  1. Encyclopedia Britannica
    . Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  2. doi:10.1093/OED/1095698573. (Subscription or participating institution membership
    required.)
  3. ^ a b c d e f g  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Lady". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 16 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 61–62.
  4. ^ a b Oxford English Dictionary
  5. ^ Ruth, Walker (2 February 2007). "Hey, lady: Call her 'madam'". Christian Science Monitor.
  6. ^ Reid Boyd, Elizabeth (2012). "Lady: A Feminist Four Letter Word?". Women and Language. 35 (2): 35–52.
  7. ISBN 9781408148129
    . Retrieved 26 January 2016. The widow of a chief or laird continues to use the territorial style and the prefix Dowager may be used in the same circumstances ... In rural Scotland (laird's) wives are often styled Lady, though not legally except in the case of the wives of chiefs.
  8. New Zealand Parliament, Wellington: New Zealand Government. 7 November 2023. Archived from the original
    on 24 April 2024. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  9. ISBN 9780992934811
    . Retrieved 22 February 2025. She is addressed as the wife of a knight, provided that she does not remarry, when she will take her style from her present husband.
  10. ISBN 9780992934811
    . Retrieved 22 February 2025. A knight's wife should never be addressed as, for example, 'Lady Barbara Waverton' (ie with the inclusion of her forename) unless she is the daughter of a duke, marquess or earl

Sources


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