Memsahib was used to refer to or address white women in India, especially during the period of British rule, or sometimes to refer to or address upper-class Indian women.
[old-fashioned]
memsahib in British English
(ˈmɛmˌsɑːɪb, -hɪb)
noun
(formerly in India) a term of respect used of a European married woman
Word origin
C19: from ma'am + sahib
memsahib in American English
(mɛmˈsɑɪb; mɛmˈsɑb)
noun
lady; madam
a title used in colonial India by a servant, etc. in speaking to or of a Europeanwoman
Word origin
Anglo-Ind < mem (< ma'am) + Hindi ṣāḥib, sahib
Examples of 'memsahib' in a sentence
memsahib
If Harold never quite fitted his job, my grandmother for her part was not a natural memsahib.