damsel

[ dam-zuh l ]

/ ˈdæm zəl /

SEE MORE 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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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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples 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

Word Origin and History for damsel

damsel

late 12c., from Old French dameisele "woman of noble birth" (Modern French demoiselle "young lady"), modified (by association with dame) from earlier donsele, from Gallo-Romance *domnicella, diminutive of Latin domina "lady" (see dame). Archaic until revived by romantic poets, along with 16c.-17c. variant form damozel.

damsel

noun Literary.

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Origin of damsel

Examples from the Web for damsel

damsel

noun

Word Origin for damsel

damsel