Dame

UK: 'dame', 'Dame': /ˈdeɪm/ US: /deɪm/ ,(dām)

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

Dame noun (in Britain)

1. the title of a woman who has been awarded the Order of the British Empire or any of certain other orders of chivalry
2. the legal title of the wife or widow of a knight or baronet, placed before her name
   Compare Lady

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

dame /deɪm/   n. [countable]

1. British Terms [Dame] (in Britain)
   • the official title of a woman who holds a rank equivalent to that of a knight:
     Dame Anne Hathaway.
2. a matronly woman of advanced age;
   matron.
3. Slang Terms [(sometimes offensive).] a woman;
   female.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

dame  (dām), n. 

1. British Terms (cap.) (in Britain)
   • the official title of a female member of the Order of the British Empire, equivalent to that of a knight.
   • the official title of the wife of a knight or baronet.
2. (formerly) a form of address to any woman of rank or authority.
3. a matronly woman of advanced age;
   matron.
4. Slang Terms a woman;
   female.
5. Religion [Eccles.] a title of a nun in certain orders.
6. Education a mistress of a dame-school.
7. [Archaic.] the mistress of a household.
8. [Archaic.] a woman of rank or authority, esp. a female ruler.

• Latin domina, feminine of dominus lord, master
• Old French
• Middle English 1175–1225

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

dame / deɪm/ noun

1. (formerly) a woman of rank or dignity; lady
2. a matronly or elderly woman
3. a woman
4. Also called: pantomime dame the role of a comic old woman in a pantomime, usually played by a man

Etymology: 13th Century: from Old French, from Latin domina lady, mistress of a household