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madonna

Madonna

noun mah-DON-nah Rare
Arts & Culture Religion

Origin: Italian ma donna, 'my lady'

Also means

Our Lady

Usage Note

Madonna with a capital letter refers to the Virgin Mary and to artistic representations of her. Lowercase madonna can be a term of address ('my lady') in historical or literary use. It is also used as a mild Italian exclamation of surprise or frustration, roughly equivalent to 'Good Lord!'

Examples

"Il museo espone una madonna del Quattrocento."

Natural Translation

The museum displays a fifteenth-century Madonna.

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