Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993.
madam, ma’am, madame, mesdames (nn.)
Madam (stress usually on first syllable, occasionally second) is a term of polite address for a woman, especially a mature woman; in direct address it is the counterpart of sir. Use it with or without the woman’s family name. A madam or madame is also the woman in charge of a whorehouse. Madam has two plurals: madams, usually but not always the plural of the “procuress” sense, so control context carefully, and mesdames (pronounced mai-DAHM or mai-DAM), the polite form of address or reference for a group of women. The singular spelled with a final -e is usually stressed on the second syllable. Ma’am (pronounced MAM) is a polite contraction of madam, limited usually to direct address: Thank you, ma’am. See MRS.
