noun
Madonna
muh-DO-nuh
noun
1
An artistic depiction of the Virgin Mary, especially shown holding the infant Jesus.
"The museum's most famous painting is a fifteenth-century madonna by an unknown Florentine artist."
"Tourists lined up to see the small wooden madonna above the altar."
2
A skateboarding trick in which the front foot is lifted off the board and kicked straight down behind it.
"He landed a clean madonna off the ledge to finish the run."
How to Use Madonna
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishMost often refers to a painting or statue of Mary holding baby Jesus; also a specific skate trick.
Common mistake
Capitalized "Madonna" usually refers to the singer or to Mary herself; lowercase "madonna" refers to the artwork or trick.
Easily confused with
madonna (the singer)
Word Forms
Madonnas plural, Madonnas plural, madonnas plural, madonnas plural
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The museum's most famous painting is a fifteenth-century _____ by an unknown Florentine artist.
Etymology
From Italian madonna, literally "my lady" (ma + donna).