- Meaning "principal female singer in an opera," it is from the same Italian phrase meaning "first lady"; the meaning "temperamental person" was first recorded in 1834. See also related terms foropera. Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved. ...
THE PRIMADONNA A SEQUEL TO "FAIR MARGARET" BY F. MARION CRAWFORD AUTHOR OF "SARACINESCA," "SANT' ILARIO," "FAIR MARGARET," ETC., ETC. 1908 CHAPTER I When the accident happened, Cordova was singing the mad scene in _Lucia_ for the last time in that season