midinette

9.9

A young woman who worked in Paris shops selling clothes in the early 1900s

noun

Archaic

: midinette

The midinette helped customers find the right dress.

Examples

She dreamed of working as a midinette in a chic Paris boutique.
Many midinettes worked in the bustling shops of Paris.
During the early 1900s, many midinettes became symbols of Parisian style and elegance.
The fashion designer was inspired by the lively energy of the midinettes who strolled along the Boulevard Haussmann.
During the early 1900s, many midinettes became symbols of Parisian style and elegance.
She dreamed of working as a midinette in a chic Paris boutique.
The midinette helped customers find the right dress.

Surface Forms

midinette singular

midinettes plural

Etymology

Midinette comes from French midi ('noon') plus the small ending -ette ('little'), so it originally meant a 'little noon girl' because these young shopgirls often met or took their lunch at noon in Paris. That's why midinette came to mean a young female sales assistant or shopgirl in early 1900s Paris.