dame

Dame is a title of honor conferred in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth realms. It designates a woman who has been knighted or admitted to an order of chivalry, making her the female counterpart of a knight. A Dame is styled Dame before her name and may use post-nominal letters such as DBE, GBE, or GCB, depending on the specific order and rank. The award is personal and not hereditary.

The term derives from Old French dame, from Latin domina, meaning mistress or lady. Its use as a formal title dates to the medieval and early modern periods, reflecting status within noble or royal hierarchies and later expanding to several modern orders of chivalry.

In practice, the title is used when addressing a distinguished woman, and it is attached to the individual's name in speech and writing (for example, Dame Judi Dench). The honour is conferred by the monarch on the recommendation of appropriate government or civil-service bodies, and it does not create a hereditary title or automatically pass to descendants.

Outside formal honours, the word "dame" means "lady" or "woman" in English. In other languages, such as French and German, similar terms exist and, in chess notation, the queen is referred to as "dame" in French or "Dame" in German, reflecting the same root meaning of a female figure of authority or prominence.

Notable Dames include Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Helen Mirren, and Jane Goodall, among others, who have been recognized for contributions to arts, science, and public life.