damsel

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“
This damsel was the most beautiful and the most gracious in all the realm of Britain.

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Definitions (7)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. noun A young woman or girl; a maiden.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (4)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (1)

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Examples (50)

  • Rather, Grundy woke; the damsel was already awake, because she was kissing him. —  Golem in the Gears
  • We will deal first with the second means The most usual personal idiosyncrasy of the damsel is the want of a finger, or some deformity in it, the result of her previous efforts to aid the hero. —  The Science of Fairy Tales An Inquiry into Fairy Mythology
  • This damsel was the most beautiful and the most gracious in all the realm of Britain When the marriage was arranged between her father and Merlin, King Leodegrance said that, for her dowry, instead of broad lands, of which King Arthur had many, he would give to Arthur the Table Round, which Uther Pendragon had in friendship given to him many years before. —  King Arthur's Knights The Tales Re-told for Boys ; Girls
  • Perhaps this damsel was a renegade from the faith, or perhaps this was some heirloom,--a protest against the colorless limitations of the creed. —  Flint His Faults, His Friendships and His Fortunes
  • And the damsel was arrayed in a dress of yellow satin. —  The Mabinogion Vol. 1 (of 3)
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Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English damisele, from Old French dameisele, damoiselle, from Vulgar Latin *dominicella, diminutive of domina, lady; see dame.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. Also, more or less archaically, damosel, damozel, damozell, etc.; from Middle English dameselc, damisele, damezele, damoisel, -elle, etc., from Old French dameisele, damoisele, damoiselle, etc., French demoiselle = Provencal Spanish damisela = Italian damigella; Old French also dansele, danzele, dancele, doncelle = Provencal donzella = Spanish doncella = Portuguese donzella = Italian donzella; from Middle Latin domicella, a young lady, a girl, contr. of *dominicella, diminutive of Latin domina, a lady, dame: see dame. Cf. damsel.
  2. Not found in Middle English, being used only as in Old French titles; from Old French damoisel, damaisel, damaseal, etc., French damoiseau, Old French also dansel, danzel, dancel, donsel, donzel, doncel, etc., = Provencal donzel = Spanish doncel = Portuguese donzel = Italian donzello = English donzel (q. v.), from Middle Latin domicellus, a young gentleman, a page, contr. of dominicellus, diminutive of dominus, master, lord: see dan, don, dominus. Cf. damsel, the corresponding feminine.
 

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/ˈdæmzɛl/
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