noun
madam
MA-duhm
noun
1
A polite, formal way to address a woman.
"Excuse me, madam, is this seat taken?"
"The waiter asked, "Would madam like to see the wine list?""
2
A woman who runs a brothel.
"The novel's villain was a madam running a string of illegal clubs."
3
(informal, dated) A girl or woman acting bossy or full of herself.
"Don't be such a madam about sharing your toys."
How to Use Madam
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA formal title for a woman, similar to "sir" for a man — with a separate, unrelated slang sense for a brothel-keeper.
Easily confused with
madame
Common pairings
dear madam
madam chairwoman
yes, madam
Word Forms
madamed past tense, madammed past tense, madams plural, mesdames plural, madams singular
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Etymology
From Old French madame, literally "my lady", from Latin mea domina.