signorina

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

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.

Origin of signorina

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

Words Nearby signorina

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use signorina in a sentence

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 | THE DAILY BEAST
"I trust that the signorina Leithcourt has explained the story of the yacht and its crew," Olinto remarked.
The Czar's Spy | William Le Queux
All this was said so simply that it was quite impossible to suspect signorina Colomba of the smallest poetic vanity.
Columba | Prosper Merimee
They say—you'll excuse me, signorina—that when they quarrel, your compatriots don't show each other very much mercy.
Columba | Prosper Merimee
And so the signorina have become a real business-personage, helping 'brother' to build the best organs in the world.
Katharine Frensham | Beatrice Harraden

The play is to be acted in part by noble amateurs, and the signorina herself will take the principal part.
Romance of Roman Villas | Elizabeth W. (Elizbeth Williams) Champney

British Dictionary definitions for signorina

signorina

/ (ˌsiːnjɔːˈriːnə, Italian siɲɲoˈrina) /

nounplural -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

Origin of 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

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