grandame—(dated) a grandmother or a woman who is no longer young (also: grandam):
- The sergeant, handing his musket to a comrade, rushed in and attempted to seize the rebellious grandame by the waist.
grande dame—a socially important, usually elderly, woman who is well known or highly esteemed:
- To her customers and culinary followers Madame Kuony was the grande dame of classic French cooking.
Note: The expression does not fully correlate in meaning with the phrase grand old lady—
1. = grande dame:
- When the 1960s social revolution rolled round, Dorothy was hailed as the “grand old lady of pacifism.”
2. used of a house, a ship, etc. that are old, antique, or worthwhile restoring for posterity:
- This grand old lady of sailing ship days rests in Port Vila Harbor.