grisette

[ gri-zet ]

noun
  1. a young French workingwoman.

Origin of grisette

1
1690–1700; <French, equivalent to gris gray (see griseous) + -ette-ette; originally a cheap gray fabric, or dress made of such fabric, worn by young working women in the garment trade

Other words from grisette

  • gri·set·tish, adjective

Words Nearby grisette

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use grisette in a sentence

  • The uneducated yet infinitely charming and loyal grisette was the good angel of Heine's later years.

  • "Yes, I am as good as an actress or a grisette," she said in a voice that trembled, though she spoke lightly.

    Parisians in the Country | Honore de Balzac
  • How could I be such a fool as to suppose that, with a few shreds and patches of finery, I could make a fine lady of a grisette?

    In the Days of My Youth | Amelia Ann Blandford Edwards
  • The grisette from a certain point of view is the chef-d'oeuvre of Parisian industry; the bouquet of Parisian civilization.

    In the Days of My Youth | Amelia Ann Blandford Edwards
  • In her white cap and muslin gown, the Parisian grisette is simply delicious.

    In the Days of My Youth | Amelia Ann Blandford Edwards

British Dictionary definitions for grisette

grisette

/ (ɡrɪˈzɛt) /


noun
  1. (esp formerly) a French working-class girl, esp a pretty or flirtatious one

  2. an edible toadstool of the genus Amanita of broad-leaved and birch woods

Origin of grisette

1
C18: from French, from grisette grey fabric used for dresses, from gris grey

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012