midinette
English
Etymology
Borrowed from French midinette, from midi (“midday”) + dinette, diminutive of diner (“dinner”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˌmɪdɪˈnɛt/
- Rhymes: -ɛt
Noun
midinette (plural midinettes)
- A female salesperson, a shopgirl, especially in Paris.
- A vacuous but fashionable young woman.
- 2006, Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day, Vintage 2007, p. 611:
- This? One finds them in every other midinette’s haunt, literally for sous.
- 2006, Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day, Vintage 2007, p. 611:
- A type of miniature climbing rose.
French
Etymology
Blend of midi + dînette.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /mi.di.nɛt/
Audio (Paris) (file)
Noun
midinette f (plural midinettes)
- shopgirl, salesclerk, midinette
- bimbo, midinette
Further reading
- “midinette”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.