Lady 

1. pl. la·dies
2. a polite or old-fashioned or formal way of referring to a woman.
   “I spoke to the lady at the travel agency”

synonyms: woman, member of the fair/gentle sex, female;

used as a courteous designation for a female fellow member of the House of Commons.

“the Right Honourable Lady promised me her support”

NORTH AMERICAN and often in South Africa in my experience.

used as an informal, often brusque, form of address to a woman.

“I’m sorry, lady, but you have the wrong number”

2. a woman of good social position.
   “lords and ladies were once entertained at the house”

synonyms:  noblewoman, gentlewoman, duchess, countess, peeress, viscountess, baroness, dame, grand dame

3. A well-mannered and considerate woman with high standards of proper behaviour.
4. A woman regarded as proper and virtuous.
   ~ A well-behaved young girl.
5. A woman who is the head of a household.
6. A woman, especially when spoken of or to in a polite way.
   ~ A woman to whom a man is romantically attached.
   ~ Informal A wife.
7. Our Lady, The Virgin Mary.

Lady Chiefly British

A general feminine title of nobility and other rank, specifically:

1. Used as the title for the wife or widow of a knight or baronet.
2. Used as a form of address for a marchioness, countess, viscountess, baroness, or baronetess.
3. Used as a form of address for the wife or widow of a baron.
4. Used as a courtesy title for the daughter of a duke, a marquis, or an earl.
5. Used as a courtesy title for the wife of a younger son of a duke or marquis.

 

“Lady” Phrases

• find the lady ~ another term for three-card trick.
• it isn’t over till the fat lady sings ~ used to convey that there is still time for a situation to change. [by association with the final aria in tragic opera]
• ladies who lunch ~ informal , often derogatory Women with both the means and free time to meet socially for lunch in expensive restaurants: these forgotten types, the ladies who lunch and underwrite foundling hospitals
• Lady Bountiful ~ A woman who engages in ostentatious acts of charity to impress others. [ early 19th century: from the name of a character in Farquhar’s The Beaux’ Stratagem (1707)]
• Lady Luck ~ Chance personified as a controlling power in human affairs:
• Lady Muck ~ British informal, A haughty or socially pretentious woman:
• My Lady ~ A polite form of address to female judges and certain noblewomen:

Synonyms of lady in English

• woman, member of the fair/gentle sex, female;
• Scottish & Northern English lass, lassie
• informal biddy, filly
• British informal bird, bint
• Scottish & Northern English informal besom, wifie
• North American informal (and derogatory) dame, broad, jane
• Australian/New Zealand informal sheila
• archaic maid, damsel
• archaic or humorous wench
• archaic gentlewoman, petticoat

Definition of lady in Spanish:

Nombre Femenino – Female Name

• Tratamiento que se da a las señoras de la nobleza inglesa.
  (Treatment given to the ladies of the English nobility.)
• Se pronuncia ‘leidi’.
  (Pronounced ‘ leidi ‘)
• El plural es ladies.
  (The plural is ladies.)

 

References:

[ http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/ ]

From [ http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ ]

Usage Note: Lady is normally used as a parallel to gentleman to emphasize norms expected in polite society or in situations requiring courtesies: Ladies and gentlemen, your attention please. I believe the lady in front of the counter was here before me. The attributive use of lady, as in lady doctor, is offensive and outdated. When the sex of the person is relevant, the preferred modifier is woman or female. Twice as many members of the Usage Panel in our 1994 survey preferred female and male to woman and man as modifiers in the sentence President Clinton interviewed both ______ and ______ candidates for the position of Attorney General.