I. ˈmadəm noun
( plural madams -əmz ; or mes·dames (ˈ)mā|däm, -dam, -daa(ə)m, -dȧm ; see numbered senses )
Etymology: Middle English madam, madame, from Old French ma dame, literally, my lady
1. : lady — used as a form of respectful or polite address formerly to a woman of rank or position but now to any woman
madam , I swear I use no art at all — Shakespeare
right this way, madam
2. : mistress 2 — used as a conventional title of courtesy formerly with the given name but now usually with the surname
how did thy master part with Madam Julia — Shakespeare
with one accord lament for Madam Blaize — Oliver Goldsmith
3. plural madams , archaic : a woman affecting ostentatious refinement
was far too pampered a madam — Thomas Hood †1845
4. plural madams
a. obsolete : prostitute
a gentleman who mistook a kept madam for a lady — Gentleman's Magazine
b. : the female head of a house of prostitution : bawd
the hard-bitten madam of the house where the prostitute works — Brendan Gill
5. plural madams : the female head of a household : wife
every once in a while the madam and I will order a book that we've read about — H.S.Truman
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
archaic : to address as madam
they madam each other with genteel petulance — Examiner