mademoiselle

[mad-uh-muh-zel, mad-mwuh-, mam-zel; French mad-mwa-zel]

See more synonyms for mademoiselle on Thesaurus.com

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/.

(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.
a French governess.
silver perch(def 1).

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

Related Words for mademoiselle

daughter, adolescent, teenager, lady, she, schoolgirl, damsel, mademoiselle, Ms, lassie

Examples from the Web for mademoiselle

Contemporary Examples of mademoiselle

The praise she got in magazines such as Vanity Fair and Mademoiselle never equaled the attacks that came her way.
Thank You, Elizabeth Wurtzel: ‘Prozac Nation’ Turns 20
Nicolaus Mills
July 31, 2014
The former editor of French Vogue is the subject of a documentary, ‘Mademoiselle C,’ about the making of her new magazine.
Carine Roitfeld Documentary ‘Mademoiselle C’ Offers Intimate Look
Isabel Wilkinson
September 11, 2013
A new documentary about her, Mademoiselle C, opens Wednesday.
Carine Roitfeld Documentary ‘Mademoiselle C’ Offers Intimate Look
Isabel Wilkinson
September 11, 2013
Mademoiselle C, the highly anticipated documentary about Carine Roitfeld, hits theaters on September 11.
Karl Lagerfeld Shows His Paternal Side in Carine Roitfeld Documentary
Isabel Wilkinson
September 3, 2013
Then we came back to New York and I got a job working at Mademoiselle.
The Queen of the Cookbook
Sarah Whitman-Salkin
February 23, 2010

Historical Examples of mademoiselle

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.
The Incomplete Amorist
E. Nesbit

British Dictionary definitions for mademoiselle

mademoiselle

noun plural mesdemoiselles (ˌmeɪdmwəˈzɛl, French medmwazɛl)

a young unmarried French girl or woman: usually used as a title equivalent to Miss
a French teacher or governess

Word Origin for mademoiselle

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."