Hypertext Webster Gateway: "Mesdames"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Mesdames \Mes`dames"\ (F. ?, E. ?), n.,
pl. of {Madame} and {Madam}.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Madam \Mad"am\, n.; pl. {Madams}, or {Mesdames}. [See {Madame}.]
A gentlewoman; -- an appellation or courteous form of address
given to a lady, especially an elderly or a married lady; --
much used in the address, at the beginning of a letter, to a
woman. The corresponding word in addressing a man is Sir.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Madame \Ma`dame"\, n.; pl. {Mesdames}. [F., fr. ma my (L. mea) +
dame dame. See {Dame}, and cf. {Madonna}.]
My lady; -- a French title formerly given to ladies of
quality; now, in France, given to all married women.
--Chaucer.
Additional Hypertext Webster Gateway Lookup
Gateway by dict@stokkie.net
stock only wrote the gateway and does not have any control over the contents;
see the Webster Gateway FAQ,
and also the Back-end/database links and credits.