Catholic Dictionary
Find accurate definitions of over 5,000 Catholic terms and phrases (including abbreviations). Based on Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.
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OUR LADY
The most popular title for the Blessed Virgin in Catholic piety and literature. Its first recorded use in English is in the Anglo-Saxon poet Cynewulf (c. A.D. 750) and is commonly associated with some special prerogative or office of the Blessed Virgin, e.g., Our Lady of Ransom, Our Lady of Divine Providence, Our Lady of the Way. It is equivalent to Madonna in Italian, and Domina in Latin.
