ma'am
/ˈmæm/ noun, verb
Forms ma'ams ma'aming ma'amed mum
- noun A form of address for a woman: contraction of madam.
- noun A polite and formal way to address a woman. “Ma'am, will you be attending the dinner this evening?”
- noun A respectful term of address to a woman of higher rank or position. “– Sergeant, have the platoon in formation and ready for inspection at 0800. – Aye aye, ma'am.”
- noun (archaic) A title for a married woman. “That is Ma'am Smith, the matriarch of the Smith families.”
- noun (archaic, US, education) A female schoolteacher; a schoolmarm.
- verb (transitive, informal) To address (a woman) as "ma'am".
Synonyms
'm marm ball and chain better half boss bride dutch 'er indoors frow geezer her indoors lady little woman little lady memsahib missus old lady old woman trouble trouble and strife dame madam gentlewoman
Etymology
The noun is a contraction of madam, and represents a regional pronunciation of that word in the United Kingdom. The verb is derived from the noun.
Webster’s 1913
- noun Madam; my lady; --a colloquial contraction of madam often used in direct address, and sometimes as an appellation.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “ma'am”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details