damsel
Americannoun
-
damsels
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of damsel
1150–1200; Middle English damisel < Anglo-French ( Old French damoisele ) < Vulgar Latin *dominicella, equivalent to Latin domin ( a ) lady ( see dame) + -i- -i- + -cella feminine diminutive suffix
Explanation
A young, unmarried woman is a damsel. If you've ever seen a young girl being chased by a rabid dog, then you've witnessed a damsel in distress! The word damsel is a shortened version of the French word, mademoiselle, which is what the French call a young woman who is not married — like the word miss in English. Damsel was originally a word reserved for noblewomen — the rich and fabulous. Nowadays even regular unmarried Janes can be referred to as damsel, though you're really most likely to come across the word damsel being rescued by a prince in a fairytale.
Vocabulary lists containing damsel
Holding Up the Universe
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"Kubla Khan" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
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Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Above us swallows dart through the air, Graeme takes a picture of a damsel fly and the brook to our side continues to babble.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2024
She’s a talented player who’s learning the ropes, not a damsel in distress.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2024
“There are tales of chivalry, where the heroic knight saves the damsel in distress,” a young woman’s voice intones as “Damsel” begins.
From New York Times ● Mar. 7, 2024
But also, it has a lot of humor surrounding it, because it's that damsel in distress kind of character.
From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2023
He said passionately: “Lady or damsel, what that thou be, in an evil time bare ye a bow; the devil made you a shooter!”
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
So, Ichikawa played beautiful damsels, as well as witches, samurai and even animals throughout his career.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 15, 2023
"I got myself into action films because I didn't believe that women were damsels in distress. Their stories need to be told correctly," Yeoh says.
From BBC ● Mar. 9, 2023
The moniker "scream queen" emerged first as a label for damsels in distress.
From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2022
For Ann — an intentionally archetypal figure reminiscent of the fragile damsels of film history — Cotillard was shown an interview with the French-German actress Romy Schneider.
From New York Times ● Aug. 13, 2021
A dragon killer, he was, a rescuer of damsels, and his small sins seemed so great to him that he felt unfit and unseemly.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
