Emily Dickinson Lexicon

lady (ladies, -'s), n. [OE hlæfdíge, bread kneader; NW says related to hláford, lord, bread giver.] (webplay: belongs, bread-givers, doubtful, earls, lord, woman).

1. Dame; woman; often noblewoman; gentlewoman; refined woman; woman of prestige.
2. [Fig.] flower.
3. Sun; central body of light in its relation to the movement of the earth [personified as a woman.] [304]
4. Female persona of the poem.
5. [Fig.] virtue; virtuous attribute; people's capacity for compassion.