Dame vs. Sir — What's the Difference?

Dame is an honorific title and the feminine form of address for the honour of damehood in many Christian chivalric orders, as well as the British honours system and those of several other Commonwealth countries, such as Australia and New Zealand, with the masculine form of address being sir. It is the female equivalent for knighthood, which is traditionally granted to males.

Sir is a formal English honourific address for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Traditionally, as governed by law and custom, "Sir" is used for men titled as knights, i.e., of orders of chivalry, and later also applied to baronets and other offices.

Used formerly as a courtesy title for a woman in authority or a mistress of a household.

Sir Used as an honorific before the given name or the full name of baronets and knights.

A married woman; a matron.

Used as a form of polite address for a man

An elderly woman.

Used as a salutation in a letter

Often Offensive Slang A woman.

A man of a higher rank or position.

A woman holding a nonhereditary title conferred by a sovereign in recognition of personal merit or service to the country.

A respectful term of address to a man of higher rank or position, particularly:

The wife or widow of a knight.

To a knight or other low member of the peerage.

Used as the title for such a woman.

To a superior military officer.

(Britain) Usually capitalized as Dame: a title equivalent to Sir for a female knight.

To a teacher.

(Britain) A matron at a school, especially Eton College.

A respectful term of address to an adult male (often older), especially if his name or proper title is unknown.

In traditional pantomime: a melodramatic female often played by a man in drag.

To address (someone) using "sir".

A woman.

A man of social authority and dignity; a lord; a master; a gentleman; - in this sense usually spelled sire.

(archaic) A lady, a woman.

A title prefixed to the Christian name of a knight or a baronet.

A queen.

An English rendering of the LAtin Dominus, the academical title of a bachelor of arts; - formerly colloquially, and sometimes contemptuously, applied to the clergy.

To make a dame.

A respectful title, used in addressing a man, without being prefixed to his name; - used especially in speaking to elders or superiors; sometimes, also, used in the way of emphatic formality.

A mistress of a family, who is a lady; a woman in authority; especially, a lady.

Term of address for a man

The mistress of a family in common life, or the mistress of a common school; as, a dame's school.

A title used before the name of knight or baronet

A woman in general, esp. an elderly woman.

A mother; - applied to human beings and quadrupeds.

Informal terms for a (young) woman

A woman of refinement;