madonna

See also: Madonna, madonną, and Madonną

English

Etymology 1

Noun

madonna (plural madonnas)

1. Alternative letter-case form of Madonna.
   1. A representation of the Virgin Mary.
      • 1868, “Sect VI.—Prussia, continued. Route 81”, in A Handbook for Travellers on the Continent: Being a Guide to Holland, Belgium, Prussia, Northern Germany, and the Rhine from Holland to Switzerland. […], Sixteenth edition, London: John Murray, page 437:

        Glogau Stat.—Inns: Deutsches Haus; Westphal’s Hotel. A fortress of the 2nd rank on the l. bank of the Oder, 17,000 Inhab. The Dom upon an island dates from 1120, and contains a madonna by Cranach, sen., his masterpiece.

      • 1992, Michael P. Carroll, “The Mary Cult”, in Madonnas That Maim: Popular Catholicism in Italy since the Fifteenth Century, Baltimore, Md.; London: The Johns Hopkins University Press, →ISBN, page 62:

        Giacomo Medica’s (1965) sample of the 697 most important Marian sanctuaries in Italy gives us some idea of the number of Italian madonnas in Italy as a whole.

      • 1993, Lucia Chiavola Birnbaum, Black Madonnas: Feminism, Religion, and Politics in Italy, Northeastern University Press, →ISBN, page 32:

        When it has not whitened them, the church has attempted to assimilate dark or black madonnas; this is evident in the many Italian madonnas described as bruna.

      • 2004, Charlene Spretnak, Missing Mary: The Queen of Heaven and Her Re-Emergence in the Modern Church, Palgrave Macmillan, →ISBN, page 231:

        The darkening effects of being buried, especially outdoors, sounds plausible in a few such cases, but if candle smoke is to account for all the other dark madonnas, as the Church asserts, why would not the entire statue have become black?

   2. A morally pure woman.
      • 1995, Merete Leonhardt-Lupa, “A Mother's Sexuality”, in A Mother Is Born: Preparing for Motherhood During Pregnancy, Westport, Conn.; London: Bergin & Garvey, →ISBN, page 113:

        Yet most of us will probably deny that this blissful woman is a sexual woman. We associate her with Virgin Mary, who conceived in an act of spiritual purity and not in carnal lust and desire. We regard her chastity as essential to her maternal rectitude. Thus we hardly recognize the madonna's subtle sensuality as sexual energy, especially not in an age where we measure sexuality in orgasmic potency.

      • 1997, Teri Goodson, “A Prostitute Joins NOW”, in Jill Nagle, editor, Whores and Other Feminists, New York, N.Y.; London: Routledge, →ISBN, part 5 (Politics: Activism, Intervention, and Alliance), page 250:

        For centuries, madonnas provided legitimate children and social respectability; whores, illegitimate pleasure.

      • 2004, Elaine Jeffreys, “Feminist prostitution debates and responses”, in China, Sex and Prostitution (RoutledgeCurzon Studies on China in Transition), London; New York, N.Y.: RoutledgeCurzon, →ISBN, section “The development of theoretical approaches”, page 75:

        […] whether women’s liberation might be better achieved by rejecting the traditional dichotomization of women into good girls/bad girls, madonnas/whores, and hence refusing to organize one's sexual desire and pleasure in terms of the repressive and passive roles that are traditionally ascribed to female sexuality within dominant discourses (the so-called ‘agency’ model).

   3. A lady.
      • 1604 (date written), Iohn Marston [i.e., John Marston], Parasitaster, or The Fawne, […], 2nd edition, London: […] T[homas] P[urfoot] for W[illiam] C[otton], published 1606, →OCLC, Act III, scene i:

        […] hee lay laſt night in ſuch a madonnas chamber, tother night he lay in ſuch a Counteſſes couch, to night he lies in ſuch a Ladies cloſet, […]

      • 1960 December, Skulda V. Baner, “A Hollywood madonna”, in American Girl, volume XLIII, number 12, Girl Scouts of the U.S.A., page 42:

        A Hollywood madonna […] “Gentlemen: This is my Christmas madonna …”

Related terms

• madonna-like, madonnalike

Etymology 2

Said to be named after the American singer Madonna.

Noun

madonna (plural madonnas)

1. (skateboarding) A one-footed lien-to-tail trick, where the front foot is taken off and kicked out straight down behind the board.

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian Madonna.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌmaːˈdɔ.naː/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ma‧don‧na

Noun

madonna f (plural madonna's)

1. Madonna, in particular an artistic depiction of Mary with the infant Jesus

Finnish

Etymology

From Italian madonna.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɑdonːɑ/, [ˈmɑ̝do̞nːɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -ɑdonːɑ
• Syllabification^(key): ma‧don‧na
• Hyphenation^(key): ma‧don‧na

Noun

madonna

1. Madonna (picture of Virgin Mary)
2. (figuratively) Madonna (morally pure woman)

Declension

Inflection of madonna (Kotus type 10/koira, no gradation)
nominative		madonna	madonnat
genitive		madonnan	madonnien
partitive		madonnaa	madonnia
illative		madonnaan	madonniin
		singular	plural
nominative		madonna	madonnat
accusative	nom.	madonna	madonnat
	gen.	madonnan
genitive		madonnan	madonnien madonnain rare
partitive		madonnaa	madonnia
inessive		madonnassa	madonnissa
elative		madonnasta	madonnista
illative		madonnaan	madonniin
adessive		madonnalla	madonnilla
ablative		madonnalta	madonnilta
allative		madonnalle	madonnille
essive		madonnana	madonnina
translative		madonnaksi	madonniksi
abessive		madonnatta	madonnitta
instructive		—	madonnin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of madonna (Kotus type 10/koira, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative madonnani madonnani accusative nom. madonnani madonnani gen. madonnani genitive madonnani madonnieni madonnaini rare partitive madonnaani madonniani inessive madonnassani madonnissani elative madonnastani madonnistani illative madonnaani madonniini adessive madonnallani madonnillani ablative madonnaltani madonniltani allative madonnalleni madonnilleni essive madonnanani madonninani translative madonnakseni madonnikseni abessive madonnattani madonnittani instructive — — comitative — madonnineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative madonnasi madonnasi accusative nom. madonnasi madonnasi gen. madonnasi genitive madonnasi madonniesi madonnaisi rare partitive madonnaasi madonniasi inessive madonnassasi madonnissasi elative madonnastasi madonnistasi illative madonnaasi madonniisi adessive madonnallasi madonnillasi ablative madonnaltasi madonniltasi allative madonnallesi madonnillesi essive madonnanasi madonninasi translative madonnaksesi madonniksesi abessive madonnattasi madonnittasi instructive — — comitative — madonninesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative madonnamme madonnamme accusative nom. madonnamme madonnamme gen. madonnamme genitive madonnamme madonniemme madonnaimme rare partitive madonnaamme madonniamme inessive madonnassamme madonnissamme elative madonnastamme madonnistamme illative madonnaamme madonniimme adessive madonnallamme madonnillamme ablative madonnaltamme madonniltamme allative madonnallemme madonnillemme essive madonnanamme madonninamme translative madonnaksemme madonniksemme abessive madonnattamme madonnittamme instructive — — comitative — madonninemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative madonnanne madonnanne accusative nom. madonnanne madonnanne gen. madonnanne genitive madonnanne madonnienne madonnainne rare partitive madonnaanne madonnianne inessive madonnassanne madonnissanne elative madonnastanne madonnistanne illative madonnaanne madonniinne adessive madonnallanne madonnillanne ablative madonnaltanne madonniltanne allative madonnallenne madonnillenne essive madonnananne madonninanne translative madonnaksenne madonniksenne abessive madonnattanne madonnittanne instructive — — comitative — madonninenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative madonnansa madonnansa accusative nom. madonnansa madonnansa gen. madonnansa genitive madonnansa madonniensa madonnainsa rare partitive madonnaansa madonniaan madonniansa inessive madonnassaan madonnassansa madonnissaan madonnissansa elative madonnastaan madonnastansa madonnistaan madonnistansa illative madonnaansa madonniinsa adessive madonnallaan madonnallansa madonnillaan madonnillansa ablative madonnaltaan madonnaltansa madonniltaan madonniltansa allative madonnalleen madonnallensa madonnilleen madonnillensa essive madonnanaan madonnanansa madonninaan madonninansa translative madonnakseen madonnaksensa madonnikseen madonniksensa abessive madonnattaan madonnattansa madonnittaan madonnittansa instructive — — comitative — madonnineen madonninensa

Derived terms

compounds

• madonnankuva
• madonnanpalvonta

Further reading

• “madonna”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 3 July 2023

Italian

Etymology

From Latin mea domina (“my lady”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maˈdɔn.na/
• Rhymes: -ɔnna
• Hyphenation: ma‧dòn‧na

Noun

madonna f (plural madonne)

1. (now chiefly historical, literary) honorific title used to address women [from 12th c.]

Interjection

madonna

1. (sometimes mildly vulgar, slang) express anger, astonishment, fear etc.

   Synonym: cristo

Derived terms

• donna
• Madonna
• madonnaro
• madonnina
• smadonnare

Related terms

• della madonna

Descendants

• → French: madone
• → Greek: μαντόνα (mantóna)
  • → Ottoman Turkish: منتونا (mantona, “mistress, concubine”)
• → Spanish: madona

Further reading

• Meyer, Gustav (1893), “Türkische Studien. I. Die griechischen und romanischen Bestandtheile im Wortschatze des Osmanisch-Türkischen”, in Sitzungsberichte der philosophisch-historischen Classe der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften (in German), volume 128, Wien: In Commission bei F. Tempsky, page 90
• Meyer, Gustav (1893), “Türkische Studien. I. Die griechischen und romanischen Bestandtheile im Wortschatze des Osmanisch-Türkischen”, in Sitzungsberichte der philosophisch-historischen Classe der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften (in German), volume 128, Wien: In Commission bei F. Tempsky, page 38

Anagrams

• mandano, mondana

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Italian madonna.

Noun

madonna f (definite singular madonnaa, indefinite plural madonnaer, definite plural madonnaene)

1. a Madonna (a depiction of the Virgin Mary)
2. (chiefly definite singular) the Virgin Mary

References

• “madonna” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Polish

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian madonna, from Latin mea domina.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maˈdɔn.na/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔnna
• Syllabification: ma‧don‧na
• Homophone: Madonna

Noun

madonna f

1. (art, Christianity) Madonna, in particular an artistic depiction of Mary with the infant Jesus
2. (humorous) woman of subtle, spiritual beauty

Declension

Declension of madonna

	singular	plural
nominative	madonna	madonny
genitive	madonny	madonn
dative	madonnie	madonnom
accusative	madonnę	madonny
instrumental	madonną	madonnami
locative	madonnie	madonnach
vocative	madonno	madonny

Further reading

• madonna in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• madonna in Polish dictionaries at PWN