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Glite Dictionary
damosel

damosel

9.9
A young unmarried woman in old stories or poems
  • noun
  • /ˈdæməˌzɛl/
  • Archaic
translation icon : dama
  • The damosel danced gracefully at the ball.

Examples

  • In the medieval tale, the noble damosel waited patiently for her true love to arrive.

  • Every damosel in the kingdom was invited to the feast.

  • In the old tale, a fair damosel awaited her champion.

  • Poets have often sung of a damosel with golden hair.

  • The knight pledged to rescue the damosel from peril.

  • The damosel ventured into the enchanted forest, seeking adventure and romance.

  • Many knights sought the favor of the beautiful damosel in their quests for glory.

Synonyms

damsel
vsdamosel
  • Archaic
32 9.6

A young woman often shown as delicate and needing help in old stories

is an archaic term without the added delicate or protective connotation
demoiselle
vsdamosel
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A young unmarried woman in old stories

means the same but is a different historical spelling variant
damoiselle
vsdamosel
  • Archaic
9.9

A young unmarried woman who appears in old stories

means the same but uses the variant spelling chosen here
damozel
vsdamosel
  • Archaic
9.9

A young unmarried woman in old stories

is the archaic term without stressing literary or poetic use

Surface Forms

damosel singular
damosels plural

Etymology

Damosel is an old form of damsel, coming from a French word that meant 'young lady' and from the Latin domina meaning 'lady', the same root as dame and madam. So a damosel in old stories is simply a 'young unmarried woman', which explains why poets and tales used it for the lovely women their knights rescued.