French word

madame

Pronunciation

IPA/madam/

Meaning

  • feminine nounma'am

Example

Bonjour, madame, comment allez-vous ?

Hello, ma'am, how are you?

Illustration for madame (ma'am)

More examples

Merci beaucoup, madame, c'est très gentil.

Thank you very much, ma'am, that's very kind.

Core concept

A courteous form of address placed before a woman's surname or used alone when speaking to her.

Common phrases

  • Pardon, madame

    Pardon, ma'am

  • S'il vous plaît, madame

    Please, ma'am

Similar words

monsieur: A respectful form of address for an adult man, placed before his name or used alone.
femme: A common noun for an adult woman.

Definition in French

Formule de politesse destinée à une femme adulte, couramment placée avant le nom de famille.

Word origin

Madame developed from Old French ma dame, meaning "my lady," while dame comes from Latin domina, meaning "lady" or "mistress."

Usage tips

  • Madame applies to both married and unmarried women, so it is not limited to the English title "Mrs.".

Other meanings

  • mrsnoun
  • ladynoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word