damoiseau

French

Etymology

From Old French damoisel, from Vulgar Latin *domnicellus, diminutive of Classical Latin dominus (“master, lord”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /da.mwa.zo/

Noun

damoiseau m (plural damoiseaux)

1. (archaic) young man
2. (historical) A young gentleman who was not yet a knight and aspired to be one; young nobleman accompanying his lord or lady to hunt, walk, travel, etc.
3. (ironic, dated) A handsome, charming young male who is courteous and/or amorous to women.

Related terms

• damoiselle

Further reading

• “damoiseau”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.