signorina

[ seen-yaw-ree-nuh; Italian see-nyaw-ree-nah ]

/ ˌsin yɔˈri nə; Italian ˌsi nyɔˈri nɑ /

noun, plural si·gno·ri·nas, Italian si·gno·ri·ne [see-nyaw-ree-ne] /ˌsi nyɔˈri nɛ/.

a conventional Italian term of address or title of respect for a girl or unmarried woman, either used separately or prefixed to the name.

Nearby words

Origin of signorina

1810–20; < Italian; diminutive of signora signora; see -ine¹

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

Examples from the Web for signorina

This is a second-class ticket, signorina,” he observes, “and you are in first class.
‘Stupid Enough to Pay’: Tim Parks’s Italian Rail Adventures|Tim Parks|June 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
You are the signorina's servant, but I know the turnings, said the rat to the cavaliere weazel.'
Vittoria, Complete|George Meredith
You love the Signorina madly, and you hate me because you are jealous of me—because I am young and you are old.
A Spirit in Prison|Robert Hichens
If the signorina requires a new dress we can supply her with one as rich as that she now has.
The Shadow of the Czar|John R. Carling

May I not have the pleasure of talking with you a little, Signorina?
Cecilia|F. Marion Crawford
The signorina had dropped to the grass, at a short step from the Chief, to whom her face was now seriously given.
Vittoria, Complete|George Meredith

British Dictionary definitions for signorina

signorina

/ (ˌsiːnjɔːˈriːnə, Italian siɲɲoˈrina) /

noun plural -nas or -ne (Italian -ne)

an unmarried Italian woman: a title of address equivalent to Miss when placed before a name or madam or miss when used alone

Word Origin for signorina

Italian, diminutive of signora

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