Word
ma'am
Phoneticsmaam
/ˈməm/
Definition
n. a polite way to speak to a woman, especially if you do not know her name or if she is in a position of authority. It is a short form of the word 'madam'.
n. a polite form of address for a woman, typically used by service staff or subordinates. A contraction of 'madam', it is more common in American English and military contexts.
Examples
“How can I help you today, ma'am?”
“The hotel receptionist greeted the guest with a polite 'Good evening, ma'am' as she handed over the room key.”
Examples
simple
“How can I help you today, ma'am?”
contextual
“The hotel receptionist greeted the guest with a polite 'Good evening, ma'am' as she handed over the room key.”
Usage
Used as a vocative; it functions as a title of respect and is not typically preceded by an article.
Pitfall
Hello, the ma'am.
Hello, ma'am.
Ma'am is a direct address title and does not take a determiner like 'the'.
Etymology
The noun is a contraction of madam, and represents a regional pronunciation of that word in the United Kingdom. The verb is derived from the noun.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.