Emily Dickinson Lexicon

DAME, n. [Fr. dame; Sp. Port. It. dama; from L. domina, a mistress or governess, from domo, Gr. δαμαω, to subdue, Eng. to tame. Class Dm, No. 3, 4, 23, 24.]

Literally, a mistress: hence, a lady; a title of honor to a woman. It is now generally applied to the mistress of a family in the common ranks of life; as is its compound, Madam. In poetry, it is applied to a woman of rank. In short, it is applied, with propriety to any woman who is or has been the mistress of a family, and it sometimes comprehends women in general.