# lady

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈleɪ.di/ · frequency rank #1,194

## Definitions
1. The mistress of a household.
2. A woman of breeding or higher class, a woman of authority.
3. The feminine of lord, a lordess.
4. A title for someone married to a lord or gentleman.
5. A title that can be used instead of the formal terms of marchioness, countess, viscountess, or baroness.
6. A woman: an adult female human.
7. A polite reference or form of address to women.
8. Used to address a female.
9. A wife or girlfriend; a sweetheart.
10. A woman to whom the particular homage of a knight was paid; a woman to whom one is devoted or bound.
11. A queen (the playing card).
12. Who is a woman.
13. Alternative form of Lady.
14. gastric mill, the triturating apparatus in the stomach of a lobster, consisting of calcareous plates; so called from a fancied resemblance to a seated female figure.
15. A five-pound note. (Rhyming slang, Lady Godiva for fiver.)
16. A woman’s breast.
17. A queen.

## Etymology
From Middle English lady, laddy, lafdi, lavedi, from Old English hlǣfdīġe (“mistress of a household, wife of a lord, lady”, literally “bread-kneader”), from hlāf (“bread, loaf”) + dīġe (“kneader”), related to Old English dǣġe (“maker of dough”) (whence dey (“dairymaid”)). Compare also lord. More at loaf, dairy, dough. Unrelated to lad.

## Easily confused with
- **law** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lady-vs-law)
- **LED** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lady-vs-led)
- **lay** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lady-vs-lay)
- **las** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lady-vs-las)
- **lap** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lady-vs-lap)
- **lid** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lady-vs-lid)
- **lag** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lady-vs-lag)
- **LAN** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lady-vs-lan)
- **lax** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lady-vs-lax)
- **LCD** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lady-vs-lcd)
- **lam** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lady-vs-lam)
- **lai** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lady-vs-lai)
- **Lao** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lady-vs-lao)
- **Lau** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lady-vs-lau)
- **LSD** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lady-vs-lsd)
- **LDS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lady-vs-lds)
- **LAT** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lady-vs-lat)
- **ley** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lady-vs-ley)
- **LDL** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lady-vs-ldl)
- **lar** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lady-vs-lar)

## Common misspellings (6)
`aldy`, `laddy`, `ladyy`, `layd`, `lday`, `llady`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/lady