the.com/dame
British title for a woman who out-achieved the men who doubted her.
means A formal title of honor for a woman, equivalent in rank to a knighthood for a man — or, in looser use, just an old-fashioned word for a woman, respectful or sly depending on tone.
from From Old French 'dame,' tracing back to Latin 'domina' — 'lady of the house,' the feminine form of 'dominus,' master. It entered English meaning simply 'lady,' and split into two lives: one formal, becoming the official title for a woman honored by the Crown; one casual, drifting through centuries of English into slang where 'dame' could mean anything from a term of respect to the hardboiled detective novel's word for any woman at all.
- female equivalent
- of knighthood, same sword, same kneeling
- origin
- old french for lady, via latin domina
- slang drift
- 1930s noir shrank it to any woman
- earned not married
- unlike duchess, you cannot marry into it