Etymology Explorer › Middle English

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): lady

Definitions

  1. lady

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”

  • lady
  • ladyship
  • landlady
  • ladylike
  • unladylike
  • milady
  • ladybird
  • saleslady
  • ladybug
  • ladylove
  • ladyhood
  • ladybeetle
  • ladyish
  • lakin
  • ladyboy
  • ladyism
  • charlady
  • ladyfinger
  • ladyfish
  • ladylikeness
  • ladyless
  • ladyfolk
  • newslady
  • ladykilling
Every word from Proto-Germanic hlaibaz →