mademoiselle
Americannoun
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mademoiselles,
plural
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mesdemoiselles
plural
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(often initial capital letter) a French title of respect equivalent to “Miss”, used in speaking to or of a girl or unmarried woman: Mlle.
Mademoiselle Lafitte.
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a French governess.
noun
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a young unmarried French girl or woman: usually used as a title equivalent to Miss
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a French teacher or governess
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of mademoiselle
1635–45; < French; Old French ma damoisele my noble young lady; see madame, damsel
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Madame or mademoiselle, the française of life-style literature represents a very limited idea of the Parisienne.
From The New Yorker ● Sep. 19, 2019
A maid carries away the breakfast tray of a pretty young mademoiselle lounging in bed behind her.
From New York Times ● Aug. 14, 2014
As she lost consciousness she recalled the doctor saying: "Au revoir, monsieur," and when she awoke, she heard: "Bonjour, mademoiselle."
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2013
Main characters were a sophisticated Manhattan night-club songstress, an aloof British movie actress, an equerry to the Duke of Gloucester, a fun-loving mademoiselle from Paris, a Connecticut Yankee.
From Time Magazine Archive
“Sit. I’m sure if one of you were to call out instructions, the mademoiselle who looks like a giraffe will hear, will she not?”
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Linux lads and Mac mademoiselles, your time has come to play Inscryption!
From The Verge ● Jun. 23, 2022
There may have been a subtle throwback to the those well-brought up “bon chic bon genre” mademoiselles, before the 1968 Paris student uprising.
From New York Times ● Mar. 2, 2011
"Eef mademoiselles, your aunts, should get to hear—" "Oh, I won't tell."
From Mary Minds Her Business by George Weston
"To what am I indebted for the honour of this visit, mademoiselles?"
From My Strangest Case by Guy Boothby
The mademoiselles whom we meet will probably have their own sweethearts.
From The Mischief Maker by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim
At 300 meters, neither slackening nor quickening their punishing pace, they passed the mesdemoiselles.
From Time Magazine Archive
"Go below, mesdemoiselles," the captain of the lugger said as soon as they had put foot on the deck.
From In the Reign of Terror by G. A. (George Alfred) Henty
Now, mesdemoiselles," he said, "it is time for you to go to your hiding-place, for it will take us nearly half an hour to close it up again.
From In the Reign of Terror by G. A. (George Alfred) Henty
This cabin is at your disposal, mesdemoiselles, during the voyage, and I trust you will make yourselves as comfortable as you can.
From In the Reign of Terror by G. A. (George Alfred) Henty
"Come, come, mesdemoiselles, we must work and not idle so; here's a wedding dress that must be done to-morrow; Madame Dumanchon has promised it."
From San-Cravate; or, The Messengers; Little Streams by Charles Paul de Kock
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
