Dame German · revision 35605

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=1592|origins=la domus}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈdaːmə/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''Dame''' ''f'' (genitive Dame, plural Damen)^(Wiktionary)

+ In the 17th and 18th centuries the French plural ''Dames'' was often used, in the 18th century also Low German ''Damens'', later only in jest.^(DFWB)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ Until the early 18th century the Italian and Spanish form ''Dama'' was also current, especially in Upper German.^(DWB2|6, 126)^(DFWB)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|fr|dame|t=lady]], borrowed at the end of the 16th century, beside [[it|dama]] and [[es|dama]].^(Kluge 2011|178)^(DFWB)^(Duden 7 2014|208) The Old French [[m|fro|dame]] comes from [[la-med|domna]], the syncopated form of [[la|domina|t=mistress of the house]], the feminine of [[m|la|dominus|t=master of the house]], from [[m|la|domus|t=house]].^(DFWB)^(Kluge 2011|178)^(Pfeifer 1993) Wahrig explains the weakened vowels of the French word by its unstressed use before names, beside the fuller [[m|fro|domme]].^(Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch) The regular outcomes of the Latin word in Italian and Spanish are [[m|it|donna]] and [[m|es|dueña]].^(Pfeifer 1993) The French word occasionally appears in Middle High German texts, but only within French phrases.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ For the uses in games DWB2 assumes a borrowing of its own from French in the first half of the 17th century, and Pfeifer allows for one.^(DWB2|6, 126)^(Pfeifer 1993) The name of the board game is unconnected with Middle Low German [[m|gml|dōmspil]], which belongs to [[m|gml|dōm|t=judgement, law]].^(Pfeifer 1993) The Duden and Paul explain it from the piece that is crowned with a second one.^(Duden 7 2014|208)^(Paul 2002) Kluge thinks the word first named the playing piece in general and was only later adapted to “lady”: the crowned piece was at first called [[m|fr|dame damée]], “piece on a piece”, and the old French word for a piece was very probably a Germanic, perhaps Dutch, word, the same as [[Damm]].^(Kluge 2011|178)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The first record (1592) speaks of knights who want to rescue ''ihre dame'', in the sense “beloved noblewoman, mistress (of a knight)”.^(DFWB)^(Paul 2002) Into the 17th century it was a fashionable word of courtly-gallant poetry after the French romances of chivalry, a counterpart to [[Galan]] and [[Kavalier]].^(DFWB)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2014|208)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ From the 17th century ''Dame'' was the usual title of women at court and of the nobility, and only from the end of the 18th century was it applied to middle-class women, partly taking the place of [[Frau]].^(Duden 7 2014|208)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002) Also in the 17th century a euphemistic sense “mistress, prostitute” appeared, as in the diminutive ''Dämchen'', and returned in the second half of the 19th century.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2014|208) Kaspar Stieler (1691) already noted that the word had become disreputable.^(DWB|2, 702) Fontane wrote in ''Effi Briest'' (1895) that ''»Dame« hat beinah immer einen Beigeschmack'' “‘Dame’ almost always has an aftertaste”.^(Paul 2002) It has also meant a woman's partner role at a dance since the 17th century.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ From the lady came the names in games: the board game ''Dammen-Spiel'' in 1616, the playing card with a lady's picture in the first half of the 17th century, replacing the older “queen”, and the strongest chess piece in 1754, for older [[Königin]].^(Paul 2002)^(Kluge 2011|178)^(Pfeifer 1993) Hungarian borrowed ''dáma'' “draughts” in 1662, and Czech and Slovak have ''dáma'' for both the lady and the game.^(LWP)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1592 – First record, as the beloved lady of a knight.^(DFWB)^(Paul 2002)

+ * 1601 – The Italian or Spanish form ''Dama'' is recorded.^(DFWB)

+ * 1616 – First record of the board game, as ''Dammen-Spiel''.^(Paul 2002)^(Wiktionary DE)

+ * 1662 – Hungarian ''dáma'' “draughts” is recorded.^(LWP)

+ * 1691 – Stieler notes that the word has become disreputable.^(DWB|2, 702)

+ * 1754 – First record as the name of the chess piece.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 1802 – ''Dame des Hauses'' “lady of the house” is recorded.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A woman, as the usual polite word in social life;^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary) ''meine Damen und Herren'' “ladies and gentlemen”: ''Die Dame am Fenster wartet schon lange.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A [[m|en|lady]]: a cultivated, elegant woman: ''Sie benimmt sich wie eine Dame.'';^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary) ''die Dame des Hauses'' is the [[m|en|hostess]].^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(chess)'' The [[m|en|queen]].^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(card games)'' The queen, the card ranking third.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(no plural)'' [[m|en|draughts|alt=Draughts]], checkers: ''Wir spielen Dame.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(draughts)'' The crowned double piece, gained by reaching the opponent's back row.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Adelung 1793)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Damespiel]]

+ * [[damenhaft]]

+ * [[Damenwahl]]

+ * [[Hofdame]]

+ * [[Herzensdame]]

+ * [[Tischdame]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Madame]]

+ * [[Domäne]]

+ * [[dominieren]]

+ * [[Dom]]

+ * [[en|dame]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Die Dame seines Herzens'', the woman a man loves, has been in use since the 18th century, and ''eine Dame von Welt'' is a woman of the world.^(DFWB)^(Duden GWDS 1999) ''Jemandes alte Dame'' is jocular for someone's mother.^(Duden GWDS 1999) The English title ''Dame'' of the British orders of chivalry is pronounced /deɪm/ as an English word.^(Duden Fremdwörterbuch 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}