damsel

noun

dam·​sel ˈdam-zəl How to pronounce damsel (audio)
variants or less commonly damosel or damozel
: a young woman:
a
archaic : a young unmarried woman of noble birth
b
: girl

Examples of damsel in a Sentence

knights are celebrated in fairy tales for rescuing damsels in distress
Recent Examples on the Web In the feature, Brown plays Princess Elodie, an outwardly typical damsel in distress who learns to fight for herself. Abid Rahman, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Mar. 2024 Mulligan still does her best to imbue damsel with a deeper melancholy, but the script doesn’t give her much to work with. Janey Tracey, EW.com, 29 Feb. 2024 Best of all, there isn’t a damsel in distress in sight. Radhika Seth, Vogue, 22 Feb. 2024 Name a doomed damsel, and a swath of grungy blue is sure to be plastered somewhere nearby. Emily Leibert, Allure, 25 Jan. 2024 Some critics also compared the photo, which included James with his arms around Bündchen, to racist imagery of a gorilla carrying a white damsel that was displayed on a World War I enlistment poster. Jay Stahl, USA TODAY, 18 Jan. 2024 But this tale isn’t an account of some distressed damsel who gets swept up in the underworld. Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 17 Jan. 2024 As per the logline, the film follows a damsel (Brown) who agrees to marry a prince (Nick Robinson). Caroline Brew, Variety, 13 Dec. 2023 Brash, violent protector Buffy turns to into a delicate damsel and stays in distress for much of the episode. Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'damsel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English damesel, from Anglo-French dameisele, from Vulgar Latin *domnicella young noblewoman, diminutive of Latin domina lady

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of damsel was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near damsel

Cite this Entry

“Damsel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/damsel. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

damsel

noun
dam·​sel ˈdam-zəl How to pronounce damsel (audio)
variants also damosel or damozel
ˈdam-ə-ˌzel
Etymology

Middle English damesel "damsel," from early French dameisele (same meaning), from Latin domina "lady, mistress" — related to dame

More from Merriam-Webster on damsel

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