La"dy , a. Belonging or becoming to a lady; ladylike.

"Some lady trifles." Shak.

La"dy (lā"d?), n.; pl. Ladies (-dĭz). [OE. ladi, læfdi, AS. hlǣfdige, hlǣfdie; AS. hlāf loaf + a root of uncertain origin, possibly akin to E. dairy. See Loaf, and cf. Lord.]

1. A woman who looks after the domestic affairs of a family; a mistress; the female head of a household.

Agar, the handmaiden of Sara, whence comest thou, and whither goest thou? The which answered, Fro the face of Sara my lady. Wyclif (Gen. xvi. 8.).

2. A woman having proprietary rights or authority; mistress; -- a feminine correlative of lord. "Lord or lady of high degree." Lowell.

Of all these bounds, even from this line to this, . . . We make thee lady. Shak.

3. A woman to whom the particular homage of a knight was paid; a woman to whom one is devoted or bound; a sweetheart.

"The soldier here his wasted store supplies, And takes new valor from his ladys eyes." Waller.

4. A woman of social distinction or position. In England, a title prefixed to the name of any woman whose husband is not of lower rank than a baron, or whose father was a nobleman not lower than an earl. The wife of a baronet or knight has the title of Lady by courtesy, but not by right.

5. A woman of refined or gentle manners; a well-bred woman; -- the feminine correlative of gentleman.

6. A wife; -- not now in approved usage. Goldsmith.

7. (Zoöl.) The triturating apparatus in the stomach of a lobster; -- so called from a fancied resemblance to a seated female figure. It consists of calcareous plates.

"Ladies man, a man who affects the society of ladies. -- Lady altar, an altar in a lady chapel. Shipley. -- Lady chapel, a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary. -- Lady court, the court of a lady of the manor. -- Lady crab (Zoöl.), a handsomely spotted swimming crab (Platyonichus ocellatus) very common on the sandy shores of the Atlantic coast of the United States. -- Lady fern. (Bot.) See Female fern, under Female, and Illust. of Fern. -- Lady in waiting, a lady of the queens household, appointed to wait upon or attend the queen. -- Lady Mass, a Mass said in honor of the Virgin Mary. Shipley. Lady of the manor, a lady having jurisdiction of a manor; also, the wife of a manor lord. Ladys maid, a maidservant who dresses and waits upon a lady. Thackeray. -- Our Lady, the Virgin Mary."

-- Webster's unabridged 1913