madonna
noun /məˈdɒnə/
/məˈdɑːnə/
- the Madonna[singular] the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ
- [countable] a statue or picture of the Virgin Mary
- a madonna and child
Word Originlate 16th cent. (as a respectful form of address to an Italian woman): Italian, from ma (old form of mia ‘my’) + donna ‘lady’ (from Latin domina).