Meaning

noun informal terms for a (young) woman

noun a woman of refinement

originFrom Middle English dame, dam (“noble lady”), from Old French dame (“lady; term of address for a woman; the queen in card games and chess”), from Latin domina (“mistress of the house”), feminine form of dominus (“lord, master, ruler; owner of a residence”), or from Latin domus (“home, house”). Doublet of domina and donna.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0