English
grande dame
Grande dame comes from French grande dame, from dame ‘lady’, and ultimately from Latin domina.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdomina‘lady or mistress of the house’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEdomna‘lady, mistress’shortened variant of domina
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400dame‘lady’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentsame form‘lady’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentgrande dame
- Englishearliest quotation a. 1856same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdomina‘lady or mistress of the house’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEdomna‘lady, mistress’shortened variant of domina
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400dame‘lady’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentsame form‘lady’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentgrande dame
- Englishearliest quotation a. 1856same form
Earliest quotation: a. 1856, Currer Bell pseudonym; Charlotte Brontë, The Professor: “In general the Continental, or at least the Belgian…”
The story
The plural form grandes dames is borrowed from French grandes dames.
Linked words
through Latin domina ‘lady or mistress of the house’
through Late Latin domna ‘lady, mistress’
Today it means
noun A woman who is high-ranking, socially prominent, or has a dignified character, especially one who is advanced in age and haughty.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin domina / grande dame