First published 1894; not fully revised More entries for dame
Factsheet
What does the noun dame mean?
There are 18 meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun dame, six of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
dame has developed meanings and uses in subjects including
religion (Middle English) education (Middle English) animals (Middle English) chess (late 1500s) theatre (1900s)
Entry status
OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.
How common is the noun dame?
About 1occurrence per million words in modern written English
See frequency
How is the noun dame pronounced?
British English
/deɪm/
daym
U.S. English
/deɪm/
daym
See pronunciation
Where does the noun dame come from?
Earliest known use
Middle English
The earliest known use of the noun dame is in the Middle English period (1150—1500).
OED's earliest evidence for dame is from before 1225, in Legend of St. Katherine.
dame is a borrowing from French.
Etymons: French dame.
See etymology
Nearby entries
- damask-work, n.1598–
- damasky, adj.1931–
- damasqueenery, n.1736–
- damasquine, n.1849–
- 1864–
- damassin, n.1839–
- dambo, n.1907–
- dambonite, n.1879–
- dambose, n.1879–
- dam-brod | dam-board, n.1779–
- dame, n.a1225–
- dame de compagnie, n.1784–
- dame d'honneur, n.1805–
- dame-school, n.a1817–
- dameship, n.1837–
- dame's rocket, n.1866–
- dame's-violet, n.1578–
- damewort, n.1776–
- damfino, int.1868–
- 1857–
- damfool, v.1883–1900
Browse more nearby entries
Etymology
Thank you for visiting Oxford English Dictionary
To continue reading, please sign in below or purchase a subscription. After purchasing, please sign in below to access the content.
View our subscription options
Personal account
- Access or purchase personal subscriptions
- Get our newsletter
- Save searches
- Set display preferences
Sign in Register
Institutional access
Sign in through your institution
Sign in with library card
Sign in with username / password
Recommend to your librarian
Institutional account management
Meaning & use
Thank you for visiting Oxford English Dictionary
To continue reading, please sign in below or purchase a subscription. After purchasing, please sign in below to access the content.
View our subscription options
Personal account
- Access or purchase personal subscriptions
- Get our newsletter
- Save searches
- Set display preferences
Sign in Register
Institutional access
Sign in through your institution
Sign in with library card
Sign in with username / password
Recommend to your librarian
Institutional account management
Pronunciation
Thank you for visiting Oxford English Dictionary
To continue reading, please sign in below or purchase a subscription. After purchasing, please sign in below to access the content.
View our subscription options
Personal account
- Access or purchase personal subscriptions
- Get our newsletter
- Save searches
- Set display preferences
Sign in Register
Institutional access
Sign in through your institution
Sign in with library card
Sign in with username / password
Recommend to your librarian
Institutional account management
Forms
Thank you for visiting Oxford English Dictionary
To continue reading, please sign in below or purchase a subscription. After purchasing, please sign in below to access the content.
View our subscription options
Personal account
- Access or purchase personal subscriptions
- Get our newsletter
- Save searches
- Set display preferences
Sign in Register
Institutional access
Sign in through your institution
Sign in with library card
Sign in with username / password
Recommend to your librarian
Institutional account management
Frequency
Thank you for visiting Oxford English Dictionary
To continue reading, please sign in below or purchase a subscription. After purchasing, please sign in below to access the content.
View our subscription options
Personal account
- Access or purchase personal subscriptions
- Get our newsletter
- Save searches
- Set display preferences
Sign in Register
Institutional access
Sign in through your institution
Sign in with library card
Sign in with username / password
Recommend to your librarian
Institutional account management
Compounds & derived words
Thank you for visiting Oxford English Dictionary
To continue reading, please sign in below or purchase a subscription. After purchasing, please sign in below to access the content.
View our subscription options
Personal account
- Access or purchase personal subscriptions
- Get our newsletter
- Save searches
- Set display preferences
Sign in Register
Institutional access
Sign in through your institution
Sign in with library card
Sign in with username / password
Recommend to your librarian
