Ma'am

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A madam dominates a male slave. Photo:Biederer Studio (c. 1930s).

Madam, abbreviated commonly as ma'am, is a formal style of address used to refer to superior females in a formal setting. The word originates in France (French: madame, n.f. means Mrs. or your ladyship; pl. mesdames. Source: Cassell's French Dictionary (c)1968.). Madam has spread into many other languages, most notably English.

Calling a person madam in English usually refers to her as a very noble and/or powerful woman. Referring to someone as ma'am, however, is simply a formal way of addressing one's female superior. In many cultures, it is common to address one's female superiors as ma'am.

In BDSM, ma'am is commonly used to refer to a dominatrix or the dominant in a household. In domestic settings, submissive persons often say, "Yes, ma'am" or "No, ma'am" to their Domme in a respectful manner. In spanking, ma'am is often the female spanker being addressed by the spankee or a female superior in any number of dominance scenarios.

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