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mademoiselle

[mad-uh-muh-zel, mad-mwuh-, mam-zel; French mad-mwa-zel]
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noun, plural mad·e·moi·selles [mad-uh-muh-zelz, mad-mwuh-, mam-zelz] /ˌmæd ə məˈzɛlz, ˌmæd mwə-, mæmˈzɛlz/, mes·de·moi·selles [mey-duh-muh-zel, meyd-mwuh-zel; French meyd-mwa-zel] /ˌmeɪ də məˈzɛl, ˌmeɪd mwəˈzɛl; French meɪd mwaˈzɛl/.
  1. (often initial capital letter) a French title of respect equivalent to “Miss”, used in speaking to or of a girl or unmarried woman: Mademoiselle Lafitte. Abbreviation: Mlle.
  2. a French governess.
  3. silver perch(def 1).
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Origin of mademoiselle

1635–45; < French; Old French ma damoisele my noble young lady; see madame, damsel
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for mademoiselle

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • The son of Monseigneur will in the autumn marry Mademoiselle de Voincourt.

    The Dream

    Emile Zola

  • "Mademoiselle, I see, does not approve of such bourgeois diversions," said he.

    Night and Morning, Complete

    Edward Bulwer-Lytton

  • First, Mademoiselle, I must decide whether I choose to be paid.

    It Happened in Egypt

    C. N. Williamson

  • "Mademoiselle Gilder made a bargain with me yesterday," he said.

    It Happened in Egypt

    C. N. Williamson

  • But without doubt Madame, Mademoiselle's friend had forgotten the hour.

British Dictionary definitions for mademoiselle

mademoiselle

noun plural mesdemoiselles (ˌmeɪdmwəˈzɛl, French medmwazɛl)
  1. a young unmarried French girl or woman: usually used as a title equivalent to Miss
  2. a French teacher or governess
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Word Origin

C15: French, from ma my + demoiselle damsel
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 mademoiselle

mid-15c., "unmarried Frenchwoman," from French mademoiselle (12c.), from a compound of ma dameisele (see damsel), literally "young mistress."

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper