damsel

[ dam-zuhl ]

/ ˈdæm zəl /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR damsel ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Literary.

a young woman or girl; a maiden, originally one of gentle or noble birth.

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a person given to voluble, empty talk.

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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

Words nearby damsel

damp-mop, damp off, dampproof, damp squib, Damrosch, damsel, damsel bug, damselfish, damselfly, damson, damson cheese

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for damsel

Not only, in the rarest of cases, where there a female lead in a blockbuster action movie, but the damsel in distress was a dude.
Team Peeta or Team Gale: Why the ‘Hunger Games’ Love Triangle Ruins ‘Mockingjay – Part 1’|Kevin Fallon|November 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For example: the damsel is tied to the train tracks, the Pacific Union hurtling her way.
Was Aaron Harrison’s Game-Winning Three-Pointer ‘Clutch’?|Robert Silverman|April 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Nicole Kidman stretched as a Southern damsel in The Paperboy, but the movie was widely panned.
In Hollywood, Where Are the Best Actress Oscar Nominees?|Ramin Setoodeh|November 12, 2012|DAILY BEAST
In the eyes of these designers, this woman is more of a damsel than a dame.
The Oscar de la Renta Effect|Robin Givhan|September 13, 2011|DAILY BEAST

Upon that the damsel cried out in a very shrill voice, "Thou knowest very well who I am!"
The Story of Sir Launcelot and His Companions|Howard Pyle
Then cried the damsel, “Slay him not; for if thou do thou shalt repent it.”
The Legends Of King Arthur And His Knights|James Knowles
On the latter occasion nothing is too bad for his “damsel with the twisted nose,” as he calls her.
Familiar Studies of Men and Books|Robert Louis Stevenson
Then Sir Launcelot said: "I go with thee, damsel, wherever it is thy will to take me."
The Story of the Champions of the Round Table|Howard Pyle
Yet the damsel gazes continually into the eyes of her cavalier, and the magic of his eyes draws her back to him again.
Tales From Jkai|Mr Jkai

British Dictionary definitions for damsel

damsel

/ (ˈdæmzəl) /

noun

archaic, or poetic a young unmarried woman; maiden

Word Origin for damsel

C13: from Old French damoisele, from Vulgar Latin domnicella (unattested) young lady, from Latin domina mistress; see dame

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

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damsel

noun Literary.

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Origin of damsel

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British Dictionary definitions for damsel

noun

Word Origin for damsel

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WORD OF THE DAY

damsel

noun Literary.

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Origin of damsel

Words nearby damsel

Words related to damsel

Example sentences from the Web for damsel

British Dictionary definitions for damsel

noun

Word Origin for damsel