1. The Virgin Mary.
2. An image or figure of the Virgin Mary.
3. Obsolete. Used as a form of polite address for a married woman in an Italian-speaking area.

[Italian, from Old Italian : ma- (variant of mia, my , from Latin mea; see Madame) + donna, lady (from Latin domina; see Madame).]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.