demimondaine

[dem-ee-mon-deyn, duh-mee-mawn-den]

noun

plural

demimondaines 

1. a woman of the demimonde.

adjective

1. of or relating to the demimonde.

demimondaine

/ ˌdɛmɪˈmɒndeɪn, dəmimɔ̃dɛn /

noun

1. a woman of the demimonde

Word History and Origins

Origin of demimondaine¹

1890–95; < French, equivalent to demimonde demimonde + -aine feminine adj. suffix < Latin -āna -an

Word History and Origins

Origin of demimondaine¹

C19: from French

Example Sentences

A demimondaine with a shocking reputation, by the time of her death, in 1954, Colette was an institution, the first French woman of letters ever honored with a state funeral.

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Oren, more interested in small gestures than gleaming sound, begins the first scene with bumptious brasses and a breakneck tempo that make the room spin, spelling disaster for Verdi’s hard-partying demimondaine.

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And for R&R, where else would a gay Jewish Christian spend a weekend than with the Princess Ghika, formerly known as Liane de Pougy, the most beautiful demimondaine of her generation?

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As a result of a profoundly failed project, I have a deep shelf of books by belle époque French courtesans and demimondaines.

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Ladies maybe not of the evening, but definitely ladies of the demimondaine, to turn a phrase like my friend Beatrice would.

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