entry
madonna
/məˈdɑnə/Italian title meaning 'my lady'; Virgin Mary
From Italian ma (my) + Italian donna (lady).
from Italian madonna
from Latin domina "lady, mistress of the house,"
from Latin domus "house" (from PIE root *dem- "house, household"). Often specifically "the Virgin Mary," hence the...
from Italian madonna
from Italian madonna
Word Ancestry
from Italian madonna
from Latin domina "lady, mistress of the house,"
from Latin domus "house" (from PIE root *dem- "house, household"). Often specifically "the Virgin Mary," hence the...
from Italian madonna
from Italian madonna
This word began as pure deference, but it sounds almost tender: ma donna, “my lady.” That first piece, ma, is the sort of clipped little syllable a child might say, while donna carries the whole medieval household on its back, marching through Latin domina to domus, the house itself. So the phrase is both intimate and formal at once — a private “my” welded to a public “lady.” English picked it up in the 1580s, first as a respectful title and then especially for the Virgin Mary, which is why paintings of Mary are often called madonnas. It is one of those words that starts in a doorway and ends up in a cathedral.
The Story
This word began as pure deference, but it sounds almost tender: ma donna, “my lady.” That first piece, ma, is the sort of clipped little syllable a child might say, while donna carries the whole medieval household on its back, marching through Latin domina to domus, the house itself. So the phrase is both intimate and formal at once — a private “my” welded to a public “lady.” English picked it up in the 1580s, first as a respectful title and then especially for the Virgin Mary, which is why paintings of Mary are often called madonnas. It is one of those words that starts in a doorway and ends up in a cathedral.
Kin & Kindred
From 'ma'·my; affectionate shortening of mamma
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'donna'·lady; woman of rank
Derived Terms
English words from this root