The Collaborative International Dictionary
Lady \La"dy\ (l[=a]"d[y^]), n.; pl. Ladies (l[=a]"d[i^]z). [OE. ladi, l[ae]fdi, AS. hl[=ae]fdige, hl[=ae]fdie; AS. hl[=a]f loaf + a root of uncertain origin, possibly akin to E. dairy. See Loaf, and cf. Lord.]
-
A woman who looks after the domestic affairs of a family; a mistress; the female head of a household.
Agar, the handmaiden of Sara, whence comest thou, and whither goest thou? The which answered, Fro the face of Sara my lady.
--Wyclif (Gen. xvi. 8.). -
A woman having proprietary rights or authority; mistress; -- a feminine correlative of lord. ``Lord or lady of high degree.''
--Lowell.Of all these bounds, even from this line to this, . . . We make thee lady.
--Shak. -
A woman to whom the particular homage of a knight was paid; a woman to whom one is devoted or bound; a sweetheart.
The soldier here his wasted store supplies, And takes new valor from his lady's eyes.
--Waller. A woman of social distinction or position. In England, a title prefixed to the name of any woman whose husband is not of lower rank than a baron, or whose father was a nobleman not lower than an earl. The wife of a baronet or knight has the title of Lady by courtesy, but not by right.
A woman of refined or gentle manners; a well-bred woman; -- the feminine correlative of gentleman.
A wife; -- not now in approved usage.
--Goldsmith.Hence: Any woman; as, a lounge for ladies; a cleaning lady; also used in combination; as, saleslady.
-
(Zo["o]l.) The triturating apparatus in the stomach of a lobster; -- so called from a fancied resemblance to a seated female figure. It consists of calcareous plates.
Ladies' man, a man who affects the society of ladies.
Lady altar, an altar in a lady chapel.
--Shipley.Lady chapel, a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
Lady court, the court of a lady of the manor.
Lady crab (Zo["o]l.), a handsomely spotted swimming crab ( Platyonichus ocellatus) very common on the sandy shores of the Atlantic coast of the United States.
Lady fern. (Bot.) See Female fern, under Female, and Illust. of Fern.
Lady in waiting, a lady of the queen's household, appointed to wait upon or attend the queen.
Lady Mass, a Mass said in honor of the Virgin Mary.
--Shipley.Lady of the manor, a lady having jurisdiction of a manor; also, the wife of a manor lord.
Lady's maid, a maidservant who dresses and waits upon a lady.
--Thackeray.Our Lady, the Virgin Mary.
Usage examples of "lady of the manor".
My sense of camaraderie with my men vanished the moment I assumed the attire of a lady of the manor.
The lady of the manor drifted from booth to stall to paddock, sniffing the spices a merchant brought from York, testing the texture of a weaving, tasting small bites of mutton presented to her on a stick.
It was built in the older Gothic style, and its heavy, broad-arched walls, its massive columns would have made it look cold and bare had not handsome tapestries, the gift of the lady of the manor, covered the walls.
The keys to the caer, symbols of my authority as lady of the manor and Carradoc’.
As his wife and lady of the manor, she should bathe him, but she had taken on no such duties.
Amid a sudden new prodigality of torches, which were rapidly being lighted at the orders of the lady of the manor, Ben moved outside the gate, where he gazed with dull wonder at the five or six poor wagons, being pulled by tired-looking load beasts into camp position.
I simply don't see any good reason for our trooping off to partake of the bounty of the Lady of the Manor.
He couldn't just lie there, an appendage to the hard fleshy pole upon which the lady of the manor took her pleasure.
On a quiet countryside, where all gossip is welcome, this weakness of the lady of the Manor House did not pass without remark, and it bulked larger upon people's memory when the events arose which gave it a very special significance.
Hiltrude went back up the stairs from the undercroft, and took care to spend her afternoon blamelessly among the women of the household, within sight every moment, and occupied with the proper affairs of the lady of the manor.