Dames

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /deɪmz/

Definitions

1. A classification for women of notable status or honor; a casual or informal way to discuss adult females; a collective reference to women, often invoking a sense of familiarity or affection
2. Women who hold an official or honorary title bestowed by a sovereign ; a casual or colloquial word used to refer to women in general
3. Females recognized with a noble or chivalric designation ; an informal and often playful way to talk about women

Etymology: Dame began as an ordinary word for a noble woman. Middle English "dame" and "dam" meant "noble lady," borrowed from Old French "dame," which also meant "lady" and served as a term of address for a woman. The French word could also name the queen in card games and chess, a reminder of how closely it tracked rank. Its ultimate source is Latin "domina," "mistress of the house," the feminine of "dominus," "lord, master." Some scholars instead link Latin "domina" to "domus," "home," so the word may ultimately be about the one who runs a household. Dame later became a formal title. In the British honours system it is given to women, and the feminine counterpart of a knight, so a woman appointed to an order of chivalry is addressed this way. That official sense is the one that has kept the word in use, and it is the reason "dames" now refers specifically to such women in the plural. The casual sense, using "dames" for women in general, is a separate and more informal extension of the same noble-lady origin.

Synonyms: women, ladies, females, girls, gals

Antonyms: men, males, boys, gentlemen, lads