French word

demoiselle

Pronunciation

IPA/dəmwazɛl/

Meaning

  • feminine nounyoung woman

Example

La demoiselle porte un chapeau.

The young woman is wearing a hat.

Illustration for demoiselle (young woman)

More examples

La demoiselle d'honneur a apporté des fleurs.

The bridesmaid brought flowers.

Core concept

A young lady from an older story or poem, alongside the delicate damselfly that bears the same French name.

Common phrases

  • une demoiselle d'honneur

    a bridesmaid

Similar words

fille: A general word for a girl who is still a child or teenager.
jeune femme: A young adult woman considered by age rather than marital status.
mademoiselle: A former title for an unmarried woman, used less often in official contexts.

Definition in French

Désigne une jeune femme non mariée, surtout en usage littéraire ou un peu archaïque.

Word origin

French inherited demoiselle through Old French from a diminutive form of dame, whose deeper source is the Latin noun domina.

Usage tips

  • The spelling oi in demoiselle represents the sound wa, and the word is pronounced roughly duh-mwah-ZEL rather than like English demoiselle.

Other meanings

  • damselflynoun

Opposites

  • épousewifenoun
  • femme mariéemarried womannoun

Word lists with this word