From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishladyla‧dy /ˈleɪdi/ ●●● S1 W2 noun (plural ladies) [countable] 1 WOMAN a) a woman of a particular type or ageyoung/old/elderly etc lady b) a word meaning woman, used especially to describe women’s sports or products made for womenladies’ team/champion/championship etc the ladies’ darts teamladies’ fashion/clothing/shoes etc ladies’ underwear c) a word meaning woman, used in order to be polite → gentleman The young lady at reception sent me up here. Give your coat to the lady over there.lady doctor/lawyer etc (=a doctor, lawyer etc who is a woman. Some women think this use is offensive)► see thesaurus at womanRegisterLady often sounds old-fashioned, especially when it is used about younger women. In everyday English, people usually say woman: His cousin is a 26-year-old woman who works in a kindergarten.2 POLITEa woman who is polite and behaves very well → gentleman She knows how to behave like a lady.3 → Lady4 → the ladies5 → ladies6 a woman, especially one with a strong character – used to show approval She can be a tough lady to negotiate with.7 → lady friend8 → lady of leisure9 American English spoken used when talking directly to a woman you do not know, when you are angry with her Hey, lady, would you mind getting out of my way?RegisterAddressing a woman directly as lady sounds rude. In polite American English, people use Miss or Ma'am instead: Can I help you, Miss?10 → Our Lady11 → the lady of the house12 old-fashionedHIGH POSITION OR RANK a woman born into a high social class in Britain I could see the Queen, surrounded by her lords and ladies.13 old-fashionedMARRY a man’s wife the captain and his lady → bag lady, → cleaning lady at cleaning, first lady, → leading lady at leading1, lollipop lady, old lady, → young lady at young1(3)
Examples from the Corpus
lady• Ladies and gentlemen, I am delighted to welcome you here tonight.• Sheila always tries to be a lady.• It was a present from a lady I worked for.• There's a lady here who wants to speak to you about her account.• Ella is the elderly lady who lives next door.• the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union• Sharon can be a tough lady to negotiate with.• The young lady behind the counter asked if I needed any help.lady doctor/lawyer etc• On one occasion Britt-Marie came: on another, a red-headed lady lawyer.• Poor Miguel and his lady doctor.• A kindly looking lady doctor arrived, followed by a porter towing a saline drip apparatus.• So I went back to the lady doctor and she gave me a cream and some tablets.• It was not too long before the Mountain Rescue team arrived, accompanied by police and a young lady doctor.• The young lady doctor had said ten minutes, but they must have been here twenty.LadyLadyHIGH POSITION OR RANKused as the title of the wife or daughter of a British nobleman or the wife of a knight Lady Spencer → ladyExamples from the Corpus
Lady• Lady MacbethLady, TheThe LadyLady, The trademark a rather old-fashioned British magazine for women, typically read by older, upper-class women. It also contains advertisements for servants and nannies(nanny).Origin lady Old English hlæfdige, from hlaf “bread” + -dige “one who kneads” 