From Old English 'hlaefdige' (loaf-kneader) — the perfect complement to 'lord' (loaf-guardian), authority rooted in bread.
A woman of superior social position or of refined manners; a polite or formal way of referring to a woman; the female counterpart of a lord.
From Old English 'hlǣfdige,' composed of 'hlāf' (loaf, bread) and a second element related to 'dǣge' (kneader of dough), from the root of 'dāh' (dough). The literal meaning was 'loaf-kneader' or 'bread-maker' — the woman who made the household's bread. This pairs perfectly with 'lord' (hlāfweard, 'loaf-ward'), creating a complementary pair in which the lord guarded the bread and the lady made it. The word underwent severe phonological compression from 'hlǣfdige' to Middle English 'lavedi' and finally modern 'lady,' losing all trace