gamine

American  

[gam-een, -in, ga-meen] / ˈgæm in, -ɪn, gæˈmin /

noun

1. a neglected girl who is left to run about the streets.

2. a diminutive or very slender girl, especially one who is pert, impudent, or playfully mischievous.

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adjective

1. of or like a gamine.

   a gamine personality; clothes for the gamine figure.

gamine British  

/ ˈɡæmiːn, ɡamin /

noun

1. 1. a slim and boyish girl or young woman; an elfish tomboy

   2. ( as modifier )

      a gamine style of haircut

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Etymology

Origin of gamine

1895–1900; < French; feminine of gamin

Example Sentences

British actor Carey Mulligan’s soft eyes and fair complexion are typical of a kind of demure gamine who gets typecast as an underestimated heroine.

From Los Angeles Times

The first looks to grace the runway were what might be called “gamine gothic.”

From Seattle Times

Here, the riding jacket was a key theme, constructed in gleaming silken tweeds above gamine miniskirts and youthful skorts.

From Seattle Times

With her head held high and her clear, unwavering gaze, a dowdy backpack strapped to her back, she doesn’t resemble one of pop culture’s fantasy gamines.

From New York Times

Lefèvre, 77, looks pretty much as she did in 1992, when she arrived at the Opera: a redhead with a gamine cut and an unaffected style.

From New York Times