beldame








noun

  1. an old woman, especially an ugly one; hag.
  2. Obsolete. grandmother.

noun

  1. archaic an old woman, esp an ugly or malicious one; hag
  2. an obsolete word for grandmother
n.

“aged woman,” 1570s; earlier “grandmother” (mid-15c.), from dame (q.v.) in the sense of “mother” + bel-, Middle English prefix expressing relationship (cf. belfader, belsire “grandfather”), from Old French bel, belle “beautiful, fair, fine” (see belle). This “direct relationship” sense of bel is not found in French, where the prefix is used to form words for in-laws.

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