milady means an English noblewoman or gentlewoman; the form of address to such a person; a lady.
milady is pronounced /mɪˈleɪdi/.
Why “milady” is a great word
A respectful term of address or reference for an English noblewoman or gentlewoman, from a colloquial pronunciation of the English phrase 'my lady', reinforced by borrowing from the French 'milady', itself derived from English 'my Lady'. Unlike 'madam', a general courtesy stripped of aristocratic residue, or 'dame', an official honor or casual vernacular, 'milady' is a fossil of feudal deference, a verbal curtsy fixed in time. It is the rustle of silk in a gaslit drawing-room, the crisp formality of a visiting card left on a silver tray, the distant echo of a title announced at the top of a grand staircase—the weight of centuries of hierarchy compressed into two syllables, a word that polishes the air with an obsolete but persistent class distinction.
Etymology
Partly representing a colloquial pronunciation of my + lady, partly from French milady, from English my Lady. Compare milord.
noun
- An English noblewoman or gentlewoman; the form of address to such a person; a lady.
verb
- To address as “milady”.e.g.“It may be as well to warn travellers of certain suspicious, half-genteel-looking men, speaking bad English, and Miladying every female.” — 1856 August 16, “Spa”, in The Illustrated London News, volume XXIX, number 816, London: William Little […], page 162, column 2:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- lady 70% match — The mistress of a household. vs milady →
- madamish 66% match — Like or befitting a madam; ladylike. vs milady →
- gentlelady 66% match — A form of address for a woman. Also a reference to a female member of a legislature. vs milady →
- marm 66% match — madam; a polite term of address for a lady. vs milady →
- gentlewoman 65% match — A woman of the nobility. vs milady →
- milord 64% match — An English nobleman, especially one traveling Europe in grand style; a wealthy British gentleman. vs milady →
- madame 63% match — A title equivalent to Mrs. or Ms., used for French-speaking women and (by custom) certain other individuals. It is abbreviated as Mme. vs milady →
- mesdames 63% match — plural of Madam (“polite form of address for a woman or lady”) vs milady →