grande dame
A woman who is high-ranking, socially prominent, or has a dignified character,…A woman who is high-ranking, socially prominent, or has a dignified character, especially one who is advanced in age and haughty.
Meaning
3 senses(also, attributive)A woman who is high-ranking, socially prominent, or has a dignified character, especially one who is advanced in age and haughty.
(also, attributive)A woman who is accomplished and influential, and is a respected senior figure in a particular field; a doyenne.
a middle-aged or elderly woman who is stylish and highly respected
(also, attributive, figuratively)A very highly regarded and well-known institution or structure, or large conveyance such as a ship.
Translations
1 languagesOrigin
Borrowed from French grande dame, from grande (the feminine form of grand (“great, grand”)Borrowed from French grande dame, from grande (the feminine form of grand (“great, grand”)) + dame (“lady”). Doublet of grandam.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: grandes dames| Singular | grande dame |
|---|---|
| Plural | grandes dames |
irregular
Synonyms
3 synonymsSee also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.