Madam, or madame , is a polite form of address for women, often contracted to "ma'am".
The abbreviation is "Mme" and the plural is mesdames.
The term was borrowed from the French madame, which means "my lady".
Use as a form of address In speaking, Madam is used in direct address
when the lady's name is not known; for example: May I help you, madam?
In the United States and in English-speaking Canada, "ma'am" is usually used, except in
regions such as New England where particular ties to England still exist.
Even then, "madam" tends to only be used when addressing the elderly, with "ma'am" being
used for a younger woman.
The male equivalent is "sir".
When addressing a letter to the holder of a particular position without knowing the
name or gender of the addressee, it is common to write "Dear Sir or Madam,".
When writing to a newspaper editor, the correct English usage is to omit the "Dear" and commence
simply "Sir," or "Madam," etc.
Formal protocol After addressing her as "Your Majesty" once,
it is correct to address the Queen of the United Kingdom as "Ma'am" for the remainder
of a conversation.
In 2009 the European Parliament issued guidance on the use of gender-neutral language which
discouraged the use of terms which indicate a woman's marital status.
In the UK, the wife of a holder of a non-British hereditary knighthood such as the German,
Austrian or German-Belgian Ritter, the Dutch-Belgian Ridder, the French-Belgian Chevalier and the
Italian Cavaliere is called Madame.
The English male equivalent is Chevalier.
In composed titles Madam is also used as the equivalent of Mister
in composed titles, such as Madam Justice, Madam Speaker, Madam President.
In the UK, job titles such as President or Prime Minister are not used as titles, as
such.
By the precedent set by Betty Boothroyd, a female Speaker of the House of Commons is
Madam Speaker.
However, the title Madam Justice is used in third-person reference: Madam Justice Louise
Arbour, Madam Justice Arbour.
In the Supreme Court of the United States, the Supreme Court of Canada and the superior
courts of Australia, rather than adopting the title Madam Justice for female justices,
the title Mrs. Justice was replaced simply by Justice.
Likewise, female presidents of the Republic of Ireland have preferred to be addressed
simply as President in direct address, rather than Madam President, although Mr. President
is in use in the U.S. with there being no claims of discrimination, possibly due to
the fact that there has not yet been a female President.
In the United Kingdom, female judges of the High Court of Justice of England and Wales
are titled Mrs. Justice rather than Madam Justice, regardless of marital status; however,
female District Judges are referred to as either Madam or Ma'am.
Female judges of the High Court of Hong Kong and the Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong
are, however, titled Madam Justice.
Military and police usage "Ma'am" is commonly used to address female
officers of the rank of Inspector and above in British police forces and female Commissioned
Officers and Warrant Officers in the British Armed Forces.
In the United States Armed Forces and the Canadian Forces, "ma'am" is used to address
female commissioned officers and Warrant Officers.
Other usage "Madam" often refers to an older woman who
manages a brothel, escort service or some other form of prostitution, that is, a procuress.
Usage in non-English speaking societies In Singapore and Malaysia, some Chinese women
retain their maiden name after marriage, and some choose to be addressed in English as
"Madam" instead of "Mrs"; for example, "Mme.
Chiang Kai-shek" was used by Soong May-ling, wife of Chiang Kai-shek
References