"ladde" meaning in Middle English

See ladde in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /ˈlad(ə)/ Forms: laddes [plural], ladden [plural], lad [alternative], ladd [alternative]
Etymology: Probably from North Germanic, possibly Old Norse ladd (“hose, woolen stocking”); according to Liberman, words for socks, shoes, and stockings were used pejoratively as nicknames for fools. See also Swedish ladder (“old shoes”), lodde (“Frisian shoe”), lädder (“socks”), all said to be related to Old Norse loðinn (“hairy, shaggy, woolly”). Etymology templates: {{der|enm|gmq|-}} North Germanic, {{der|enm|non|ladd||hose, woolen stocking}} Old Norse ladd (“hose, woolen stocking”), {{cog|sv|ladder||old shoes}} Swedish ladder (“old shoes”), {{cog|non|loðinn||hairy, shaggy, woolly}} Old Norse loðinn (“hairy, shaggy, woolly”) Head templates: {{head|enm|noun|g=|g2=|g3=|head=|sort=}} ladde, {{enm-noun|laddes|pl2=ladden}} ladde (plural laddes or ladden)
  1. A (male) servant or hireling (usually of a noble)
    Sense id: en-ladde-enm-noun-H-otyeWy Categories (other): Male people Disambiguation of Male people: 25 27 2 21 25 1
  2. A male commoner; a man with a low position in society.
    Sense id: en-ladde-enm-noun-PCrmdH92 Categories (other): Male people Disambiguation of Male people: 25 27 2 21 25 1
  3. A man of low morals or behaviour (used derogatorily)
    Sense id: en-ladde-enm-noun-Gy6JcL2r Categories (other): Middle English entries with incorrect language header Disambiguation of Middle English entries with incorrect language header: 12 13 31 24 6 14
  4. Any man (without qualification); an adult male human being.
    Sense id: en-ladde-enm-noun-g3WQqSdU Categories (other): Male people Disambiguation of Male people: 25 27 2 21 25 1
  5. A lad or boy; a male human child (including babies)
    Sense id: en-ladde-enm-noun-agcuo5hb Categories (other): Babies, Children, Male people, Occupations Disambiguation of Babies: 11 5 11 5 55 13 Disambiguation of Children: 6 6 22 13 40 13 Disambiguation of Male people: 25 27 2 21 25 1 Disambiguation of Occupations: 14 11 16 18 25 16
  6. (rare) An infantryman; a fighter who isn't mounted. Tags: rare
    Sense id: en-ladde-enm-noun-EzAZ55ff Categories (other): Military Disambiguation of Military: 0 0 0 0 0 100

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

{
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "English",
      "lang_code": "en",
      "word": "lad"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Scots",
      "lang_code": "sco",
      "word": "lad"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "gmq",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "North Germanic",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "ladd",
        "4": "",
        "5": "hose, woolen stocking"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse ladd (“hose, woolen stocking”)",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "ladder",
        "3": "",
        "4": "old shoes"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish ladder (“old shoes”)",
      "name": "cog"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "non",
        "2": "loðinn",
        "3": "",
        "4": "hairy, shaggy, woolly"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse loðinn (“hairy, shaggy, woolly”)",
      "name": "cog"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Probably from North Germanic, possibly Old Norse ladd (“hose, woolen stocking”); according to Liberman, words for socks, shoes, and stockings were used pejoratively as nicknames for fools. See also Swedish ladder (“old shoes”), lodde (“Frisian shoe”), lädder (“socks”), all said to be related to Old Norse loðinn (“hairy, shaggy, woolly”).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "laddes",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "ladden",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "lad",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "ladd",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "noun",
        "g": "",
        "g2": "",
        "g3": "",
        "head": "",
        "sort": ""
      },
      "expansion": "ladde",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "laddes",
        "pl2": "ladden"
      },
      "expansion": "ladde (plural laddes or ladden)",
      "name": "enm-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Middle English",
  "lang_code": "enm",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "25 27 2 21 25 1",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "enm",
          "name": "Male people",
          "orig": "enm:Male people",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A (male) servant or hireling (usually of a noble)"
      ],
      "id": "en-ladde-enm-noun-H-otyeWy",
      "links": [
        [
          "servant",
          "servant"
        ],
        [
          "hireling",
          "hireling"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "25 27 2 21 25 1",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "enm",
          "name": "Male people",
          "orig": "enm:Male people",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A male commoner; a man with a low position in society."
      ],
      "id": "en-ladde-enm-noun-PCrmdH92",
      "links": [
        [
          "commoner",
          "commoner"
        ],
        [
          "society",
          "society"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "12 13 31 24 6 14",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A man of low morals or behaviour (used derogatorily)"
      ],
      "id": "en-ladde-enm-noun-Gy6JcL2r",
      "links": [
        [
          "morals",
          "morals"
        ],
        [
          "behaviour",
          "behaviour"
        ],
        [
          "derogatorily",
          "derogatorily#English"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "25 27 2 21 25 1",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "enm",
          "name": "Male people",
          "orig": "enm:Male people",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Any man (without qualification); an adult male human being."
      ],
      "id": "en-ladde-enm-noun-g3WQqSdU",
      "links": [
        [
          "man",
          "man"
        ],
        [
          "male",
          "male"
        ],
        [
          "human",
          "human"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "11 5 11 5 55 13",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "enm",
          "name": "Babies",
          "orig": "enm:Babies",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "6 6 22 13 40 13",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "enm",
          "name": "Children",
          "orig": "enm:Children",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "25 27 2 21 25 1",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "enm",
          "name": "Male people",
          "orig": "enm:Male people",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "14 11 16 18 25 16",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "enm",
          "name": "Occupations",
          "orig": "enm:Occupations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A lad or boy; a male human child (including babies)"
      ],
      "id": "en-ladde-enm-noun-agcuo5hb",
      "links": [
        [
          "lad",
          "lad"
        ],
        [
          "boy",
          "boy"
        ],
        [
          "human",
          "human"
        ],
        [
          "child",
          "child"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "0 0 0 0 0 100",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "enm",
          "name": "Military",
          "orig": "enm:Military",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An infantryman; a fighter who isn't mounted."
      ],
      "id": "en-ladde-enm-noun-EzAZ55ff",
      "links": [
        [
          "infantryman",
          "infantryman"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(rare) An infantryman; a fighter who isn't mounted."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "rare"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈlad(ə)/"
    }
  ],
  "word": "ladde"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "Middle English derogatory terms",
    "Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
    "Middle English lemmas",
    "Middle English nouns",
    "Middle English terms derived from North Germanic languages",
    "Middle English terms derived from Old Norse",
    "Pages with 3 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "enm:Babies",
    "enm:Children",
    "enm:Male people",
    "enm:Military",
    "enm:Occupations"
  ],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "English",
      "lang_code": "en",
      "word": "lad"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Scots",
      "lang_code": "sco",
      "word": "lad"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "gmq",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "North Germanic",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "ladd",
        "4": "",
        "5": "hose, woolen stocking"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse ladd (“hose, woolen stocking”)",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "ladder",
        "3": "",
        "4": "old shoes"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish ladder (“old shoes”)",
      "name": "cog"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "non",
        "2": "loðinn",
        "3": "",
        "4": "hairy, shaggy, woolly"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse loðinn (“hairy, shaggy, woolly”)",
      "name": "cog"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Probably from North Germanic, possibly Old Norse ladd (“hose, woolen stocking”); according to Liberman, words for socks, shoes, and stockings were used pejoratively as nicknames for fools. See also Swedish ladder (“old shoes”), lodde (“Frisian shoe”), lädder (“socks”), all said to be related to Old Norse loðinn (“hairy, shaggy, woolly”).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "laddes",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "ladden",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "lad",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "ladd",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "noun",
        "g": "",
        "g2": "",
        "g3": "",
        "head": "",
        "sort": ""
      },
      "expansion": "ladde",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "laddes",
        "pl2": "ladden"
      },
      "expansion": "ladde (plural laddes or ladden)",
      "name": "enm-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Middle English",
  "lang_code": "enm",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "A (male) servant or hireling (usually of a noble)"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "servant",
          "servant"
        ],
        [
          "hireling",
          "hireling"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "A male commoner; a man with a low position in society."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "commoner",
          "commoner"
        ],
        [
          "society",
          "society"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "A man of low morals or behaviour (used derogatorily)"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "morals",
          "morals"
        ],
        [
          "behaviour",
          "behaviour"
        ],
        [
          "derogatorily",
          "derogatorily#English"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "Any man (without qualification); an adult male human being."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "man",
          "man"
        ],
        [
          "male",
          "male"
        ],
        [
          "human",
          "human"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "A lad or boy; a male human child (including babies)"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "lad",
          "lad"
        ],
        [
          "boy",
          "boy"
        ],
        [
          "human",
          "human"
        ],
        [
          "child",
          "child"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "Middle English terms with rare senses"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An infantryman; a fighter who isn't mounted."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "infantryman",
          "infantryman"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(rare) An infantryman; a fighter who isn't mounted."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "rare"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈlad(ə)/"
    }
  ],
  "word": "ladde"
}

Download raw JSONL data for ladde meaning in Middle English (3.0kB)

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable Middle English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-02-08 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-02-01 using wiktextract (f492ef9 and 9905b1f). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.