Go·di·va

(gə-dī′və), Lady fl. c. 1050.

Wife of Leofric (968-1057), Earl of Mercia. She is said to have ridden naked through the streets of Coventry to persuade her husband to lower the town's taxes.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Godiva

(ɡəˈdaɪvə)

(Biography) Lady. ?1040–1080, wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia. According to legend, she rode naked through Coventry in order to obtain remission for the townspeople from the heavy taxes imposed by her husband

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

Go•di•va

(gəˈdaɪ və)

n.

( “Lady Godiva” ), died 1057, an English noblewoman who, according to legend, rode naked through the streets of Coventry to win relief for the people from a burdensome tax.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

Godiva - according to legend she rode naked through Coventry in order to persuade her husband not to tax the townspeople so heavily; the only person to look at her as she rode by was a man named Tom and Peeping Tom has become a synonym for voyeur (circa 1040-1080)

Lady Godiva

Mentioned in

References in periodicals archive

The three-day Godiva Festival has been held in the War Memorial Park since 1998 and has gone on to become the UK's biggest free family music festival, more than doubling in size in recent years.

Godiva running late; annual festival to take place later in year to accommodate a packed summer of music in city

The Road Haulage Association signed up Mrs Porretta, Coventry's official Lady Godiva and wife of RHA member Mr Steve Porretta, for its Fair Play on Fuel Campaign, which wants a lower tax on fuel and to head off a planned six per cent increase.

Godiva rides again - but on the back of a lorry

The clock face high up on the building is still keeping the correct time but there are issues with Lady Godiva.

GODIVA still in hiding! famous city clock still not working months after breaking

Trevor Tennant's somewhat ghoulish clock pageant created in 1953 showing wide-eyed Peeping Tom peering down on the wooden horseback nude figure of Godiva riding out of an opening on the wall of Broadgate House on every hour offers an unusual tourist attr action.

The truth about Lady Godiva laid bare

Godiva's Rio-bound trio Kare Adenegan, Mel Nicholls and Ben Rowlings were joined by Coventry University superstar Hannah Cockroft who provided a world record highlight by breaking the twominute barrier in the T34 800m with 1-56.89.

Godiva serve up a CLASSIC event

And because Godiva chocolates are bought by weight (pounds 18 per lb) temptation can be as great or little as you like.

A taste temptation too good to miss

Godiva showed their strength in the track events with key performance in the ladies 800m where both Paula Richardson and Abigail Nolan managed personal best times - Nolan leading from tape to gun for a commanding verdict.

Sunny side up!

That was eclipsed by the girls, who were 24th, but Godiva were again under-represented in the other women's categories - Julie Emmerson ploughing a lonely furrow to take 46th in the junior category on her return from a foot injury as Zarinda Batstone again flew the flag for the senior ladies to complete her 100-per-cent attendance record this term.

Top ten spot for Toby

Godiva's senior ladies opted to run in the masters category, Paula richardson building on a strong start to take the victory from northbrook's Amanda Deavy with Jayne Mumford and Zarinda Batstone clinching the team decision.

It 's Godiva gold!

Nathasja Flapper made a scale model of Broadgate's Lady Godiva statue, which she entered into the Decorative Exhibit section at the Cake International show at the NEC.

Lady Godiva cake is a golden delight

He clocked 17 minutes 39 seconds, the fastest leg of the day, while Godiva's under-17s just missed out on a medal.

Godiva's road runners!

Coventry's present-day Lady Godiva, Pru Porretta, welcomed 18 Godiva Sisters from all across the world - including places such as Japan, Poland and Serbia - to the iconic statue bearing the same name in Broadgate.

Fun and Dames!