Where does “lady” come from?

lady (Middle English) comes from Old English hlǣfdīġe, from Old English hlāf, from Proto-West Germanic hlaib, from Proto-Germanic hlaibaz — bread.

lady (Middle English): A woman with authority or leadership

Definitions

  1. A woman with authority or leadership

Ancestry of “lady”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishhlǣfdīġebread-kneader; mistress of a household, wife of a...
2Old Englishhlāfbread, loaf; bread, loaf, morsel; loaf, cake,...
3Proto-West Germanichlaibbread, loaf
4Proto-Germanichlaibazbread

Words derived from “lady”

Every word from Proto-Germanic hlaibaz →