Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

madonna

/məˈdɒnə/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.73 in modern English

Syllables: madon-na
IPA: /məˈdɒnə/

10

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

3

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

name

Synonym of Mary, mother of Jesus, especially in Catholic contexts.

name

A female given name from Italian.

noun

An artistic representation of the Virgin Mary, chiefly when holding the infant Jesus.

noun

A morally pure woman.

noun

Alternative letter-case form of Madonna.

noun

Alternative letter-case form of Madonna.

noun

Alternative letter-case form of Madonna.

noun

A one-footed lien-to-tail trick, where the front foot is taken off and kicked out straight down behind the board.

Example Sentences

"We feel bound to add, however, that it is not very likely, in the usual chances of events, that such names as Alaric Attila Watts should have met in matrimony with those of Zillah Madonna Wiffen; and an unkind world may suggest a mystification somewhere."
"But celebrities actually have a weak effect on baby names. As of 2000, the pop star Madonna had sold 130 million records worldwide but hadn't generated even the ten copycat namings―in California, no less―required to make the master index of four thousand names from which the sprawling list of girls' names on page 227 was drawn."
"MADONNA(S) Yes. (They look at each other with surprise. The room goes silent.) MR. STEIN Two Madonnas? (Pause.) MR. STEIN Did either of you know God? EIGHTIES MADONNA I knew of Him. BIBLICAL MADONNA We had a Son together. MR. STEIN […] I’m going to have to ask you to leave. (The eighties Madonna gets up with a smile and then without uttering another word flounces out of the room loudly humming the tune ‘Like a Virgin’.)"
"A beautiful example of this type of Madonna is the polyptych in the Museo Civico in Sansepolcro."
"So many Madonnas were produced during the Renaissance that it became the habit to distinguish them by any peculiarity."
"“Men,” I said, with a tone of disgust. “Halal circles, haram circles, good, bad, Madonnas, whores, goats, penises, it’s all the same.”"

Etymology

From Italian madonna, from Old Italian ma (“my”) + donna (“lady”). The given name is derived from the English term, not used as a given name in Italy. Doublet of madam.

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in People.

Inflected Forms

Madonnas (plural) Madona (alternative, obsolete)

Derived Forms

madonna Madonnabe Madonnaesque Madonnahood Madonnaish Madonnamania Madonnawise

Phrases

Black Madonna Madonna blue Madonna braid Madonna-like Madonna lily Madonna piercing Madonna-whore complex

Frequently Paired Words

Mona madonna-like madonnalike

Synonyms

Mary mother of Jesus

Rhymes With

gonna wanna marijuana ana donna rihanna nirvana mana guyana botswana haryana tijuana

Questions

How do you pronounce madonna?: The recorded pronunciation is /məˈdɒnə/.
What does madonna mean?: Synonym of Mary, mother of Jesus, especially in Catholic contexts.
Where does madonna come from?: From Italian madonna, from Old Italian ma (“my”) + donna (“lady”). The given name is derived from the English term, not used as a given name in Italy. Doublet of madam.

How to pronounce madonna

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “madonna”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/məˈdɒnə/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “madonna”.
Repeat and practice — Say “madonna” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.