The Lady of the Lake
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
In the Arthurian legends, Vivien, the mistress of Merlin. She lived hi the midst of an imaginary lake sur- rounded by knights and damsels. See LANCE- LOT.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “The Lady of the Lake” mean?
In the Arthurian legends, Vivien, the mistress of Merlin. She lived hi the midst of an imaginary lake sur- rounded by knights and damsels. See LANCE- LOT.
Is “The Lady of the Lake” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.