La"dy, a. Belonging or becoming to
a lady; ladylike.
"Some lady trifles." Shak.
La"dy (lā"d?), n.;
pl. Ladies (-dĭz). [OE. ladi,
læfdi, AS. hlǣfdige,
hlǣfdie; AS. hlāf loaf + a root of
uncertain origin, possibly akin to E. dairy. See Loaf,
and cf. Lord.]
1. A woman who looks after the domestic
affairs of a family; a mistress; the female head of a
household.
Agar, the handmaiden of Sara, whence comest thou, and
whither goest thou? The which answered, Fro the face of Sara my
lady.
Wyclif (Gen. xvi. 8.).
2. A woman having proprietary rights or
authority; mistress; -- a feminine correlative of lord.
"Lord or lady of high degree." Lowell.
Of all these bounds, even from this line to this, . .
.
We make thee lady.
Shak.
3. A woman to whom the particular homage of a
knight was paid; a woman to whom one is devoted or bound; a
sweetheart.
The soldier here his wasted store supplies,
And takes new valor from his lady's eyes.
Waller.
4. A woman of social distinction or position.
In England, a title prefixed to the name of any woman whose husband
is not of lower rank than a baron, or whose father was a nobleman not
lower than an earl. The wife of a baronet or knight has the title of
Lady by courtesy, but not by right.
5. A woman of refined or gentle manners; a
well-bred woman; -- the feminine correlative of
gentleman.
6. A wife; -- not now in approved
usage. Goldsmith.
7. (Zoöl.) The triturating
apparatus in the stomach of a lobster; -- so called from a fancied
resemblance to a seated female figure. It consists of calcareous
plates.
Ladies' man, a man who affects the society
of ladies. -- Lady altar, an altar in a
lady chapel. Shipley. -- Lady chapel,
a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary. -- Lady
court, the court of a lady of the manor. --
Lady crab (Zoöl.), a handsomely
spotted swimming crab (Platyonichus ocellatus) very common on
the sandy shores of the Atlantic coast of the United States. --
Lady fern. (Bot.) See Female
fern, under Female, and Illust. of
Fern. -- Lady in waiting, a lady of
the queen's household, appointed to wait upon or attend the
queen. -- Lady Mass, a Mass said in honor
of the Virgin Mary. Shipley. Lady of the
manor, a lady having jurisdiction of a manor; also, the
wife of a manor lord. Lady's maid, a
maidservant who dresses and waits upon a lady. Thackeray.
-- Our Lady, the Virgin Mary.