beldam, beldame
(noun) a woman of advanced age
hag, beldam, beldame, witch, crone
(noun) an ugly evil-looking old woman
Source: WordNet® 3.1
beldame (plural beldames)
(obsolete) A grandmother.
(now archaic) An old woman, particularly an ugly one.
• (ugly woman): crone, hag, harridan
• See also ugly person
• embaled
Source: Wiktionary
Bel"dam Bel"dame, n. Etym: [Pref. bel-, denoting relationship + dame mother: cf. F. belledame fair lady, It. belladonna. See Belle, and Dame.]
1. Grandmother; -- corresponding to belsire. To show the beldam daughters of her daughter. Shak.
2. An old woman in general; especially, an ugly old woman; a hag. Around the beldam all erect they hang. Akenside.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
31 March 2025
(adjective) done or made using whatever is available; “crossed the river on improvised bridges”; “the survivors used jury-rigged fishing gear”; “the rock served as a makeshift hammer”
The first coffee-house in Mecca dates back to the 1510s. The beverage was in Turkey by the 1530s. It appeared in Europe circa 1515-1519 and was introduced to England by 1650. By 1675 the country had more than 3,000 coffee houses, and coffee had replaced beer as a breakfast drink.
