Etymology Dictionary

LADY,   the mistress of a house, a wife, woman of rank.  (E.)   M.E. lady, Chaucer, C. T. 1145.   Older spellings læfdi, Layamon, 1256; lefdi, leafdi, Ancren Riwle, pp. 4, 38; lheuedi (= hlevedi), Ayenbite of Inwyt, p. 24; lafdiȝ, Ormulum, 1807.—A.S. hlǽfdige, a lady; Grein, ii. 81; O. Northumb. hlafdia, in the margin of John, xx. 16, in the Lindisfarne M.S.   β. Of uncertain origin; the syllable hlǽf is known to represent the word hláf, a loaf; see Loaf, Lord.   But the suffix -dige remains uncertain; the most reasonable guess is that which identifies it with A.S. dǽgee, a kneader, from the root which appears in Goth. digan or deigan, to knead.   This gives the sense 'bread-kneader,' or maker of bread, which is a very likely one; see Lord.   The A.S. dǽgee occurs in the accus. case in the following passage.   'Godwig... hæfð geboht Leofgife þá dǽgean æt Norðstoke and hyre ofspring' = Godwig has bought Leofgifu the dough-woman at Northstoke, and her offspring; Thorpe, Diplomatarium Ævi Saxonici, p. 641.   Cf. Icel. deigja, a dairy-maid; and see further under Dairy, Dough.   ¶ The Icel lafði, a lady, is merely borrowed from English.   B. The term Lady was often used in a special sense, to signify the blessed Virgin Mary; hence several derivatives, such as lady-bird, lady-fern, lady's-finger, lady's-mantle, lady's-slipper, lady's-smock, lady's-tresses.    Cf. G. Marien-käfer (Mary's chafer), a lady-bird; Marien-blume (Mary's flower), a daisy; Marien-mantel (Mary's mantle), lady's-mantle; Marien-schuh (Mary's shoe), lady's-slipper.   Der. A. (in the general sense), lady-love; lady-ship, M.E. ladiship, Gower, C. A. ii. 301, last line, written lefdischip (= deference), Ancren Riwle, p. 108; lady like.   B. (in the special sense) lady-bird, &c., as above.   Also lady-chapel, lady-day, which strictly speaking are not compound words at all, since lady is here in the gen. case, so that lady chapel = chapel of our Lady, and lady day = day of our Lady.   The M.E. gen. case of this word was lady or ladie, rather than ladies, which was a later form; this is remarkably shewn by the phrase 'in his lady grace' = in his lady's favour, Chaucer, C. T. 88; where Tyrwhitt wrongly prints ladies, though the MSS. have lady.   The contrast of Lady day with Lord's day is striking, like that of Fri-day with Thur-s-day, the absence of s marking the fem. gender; the A.S. gen. case is hlǽfdig-an.