damoiseau
English
Noun
damoiseau (plural damoiseaus or damoiseaux)
- (historical) A young gentleman who was not yet a knight but aspired to be one; a young nobleman accompanying his lord or lady to hunt, walk, travel, etc.
French
Etymology
From Old French damoisel, from Vulgar Latin *domnicellus, diminutive of Classical Latin dominus (“master, lord”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /da.mwa.zo/
Audio (file)
Noun
damoiseau m (plural damoiseaux)
- (archaic) young man
- (historical) a young gentleman who was not yet a knight but aspired to be one; a young nobleman accompanying his lord or lady to hunt, walk, travel, etc.
- (ironic, dated) a handsome, charming young man who is courteous or amorous toward women
Related terms
- damoiselle
Further reading
- “damoiseau”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.