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Synonyms

ma'am

American  
[mam, mahm, muhm] / mæm, mɑm, məm /

noun

  1. madam.

  2. (in Britain) a term used in addressing the queen or a royal princess.

ma'am British  
/ mɑːm, mæm, məm /

noun

  1. short for madam

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

Ma'am is used as a title of respect, especially when addressing female royalty

Etymology

Origin of ma'am

First recorded in 1660–70; by contraction

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.