dame
UK[deɪm]US[deɪm]
n
A title for a woman equivalent to the rank of knight, or a woman who has been awarded this title.
n
(Archaic or formal) A woman, especially an elderly or dignified one.
n
(Slang, chiefly US) A woman.
Etymology
The word 'dame' has a regal descent, tracing back to the Latin 'domina', the feminine form of 'dominus' meaning 'lord' or 'master'. It entered English via Old French 'dame', carrying the core meaning of 'lady' or 'mistress of a household'. Over centuries, its usage narrowed in British English to become the female counterpart of a knight, a formal honorific title. Concurrently, its broader sense as a term for a woman persisted, evolving in tone from respectful to archaic or, in modern American slang, a more casual and sometimes disparaging term.
Analysis
The word 'dame' is a simplex loanword from Old French, which itself derived from Latin 'domina' (mistress, lady of the house). It entered English as a single, unanalyzable unit in Middle English.
Examples
Dame Judi Dench is one of Britain's most celebrated actresses.
The kindly dame offered the travelers shelter for the night.
He walked into the bar with a glamorous dame on his arm.